All in the Name of Love
by A. Amishi
Summary: The path to true love can sometimes a long and painful one. So is the case in this GeneMelfina love story that is filled with numerous deveations along the way. Please R&R.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Outlaw Star is the property of Bandai and Sunrise Ltd. I am simply a humble and poor ff writer trying to share a little joy with others. ^_^

Description: This is a Post-Outlaw Star fic centering around the long paths that love sometimes takes. This is a Gene/Melfina romance but there are many other elements thrown into the mix. Action/Adventure/Drama/Angst and some humor as well. Hope you enjoy this one. There are some references to events that took place during my OLS prequel, The Rise before the Fall, though I do not believe it is essential to read it before reading this. 

Acknowledgements: I'd like to give a big thanks to night_phantom13 for providing some very insightful comments and suggestions. Thanks night_phantom13, it's good to have someone to bounce my story off of before posting it. I'd also like to thank breakaway_republic for being a constant source of ideas and suggestions. Thanks guys. ^_^

All in the Name of Love

Prologue: 

Four months after the Galactic Leyline incident found the crew of the Outlaw Star in a remote region of space called the Kokuu System. A region so remote neither the Tempa Empire nor the Space Forces would lay claim to it. The reason for the crew's arrival was originally to repair moisture condensers in the mostly desert environment of Cielo Rojo, the only inhabitable planet in the Kokuu System. Cielo Rojo was named by the planet's first colonists because of its pale red sky. It had the ideal desert conditions needed to grow the blue agave plants. The main ingredient for making Tequila, an old earth alcoholic beverage that was growing in popularity after almost disappearing entirely because of environmental controls on earth that made most deserts none existent. Farmers from earth founded Cielo Rojo in hopes of getting rich off the newfound popularity of the drink. The problem was the planet of Cielo Rojo was so dry, there wasn't enough water for the people to live on. So while the cactus plant grew in abundance, people were dying of dehydration. That's when a shrewd entrepreneur came and sold moisture condensers to the inhabitance with a guaranteed lifetime service agreement. Unfortunately, the entrepreneur went bankrupt with another business venture and the people of Cielo Rojo were stuck with moisture condensers that were beginning to break down.

Jim had caught wind of this and stocked up on equipment to make the necessary repairs. He estimated that in six months time he could repair between 450 to 500 condensers at 300 wong per repair that would be between 135,000 to 150,000 wong. Not a whole lot of money for six months of work but better than any of their other prospects. Problem was when they arrived at Cielo Rojo; they found a local who had already thought of the same thing. He had exclusive repair contracts with 95% of the condenser owners and the other 5% repaired their own. In order to cut his losses, Jim sold the equipment he brought to the local for 80% of what he paid for it. So what appeared to be a trip with some promise turned into a bust until Gene wandered into a saloon and while flirting with one of it's regular female patrons, got into a fight with a jealous wannabe boyfriend. Gene took him down in his usual style and when the regional marshal arrived, instead of having to explain his actions, the marshal gave him 3,000 wong. 

Gene accompanied the marshal to the law enforcement headquarters, a rundown building with four cells in the back and a full time staff of six including the marshal. Marshal Fuentes explained how of little over 200,000 inhabitance on Cielo Rojo nearly 10% were wanted criminals with bounties on their heads. They came to Cielo Rojo because, while Space Forces had assumed law enforcement jurisdiction, their presence was merely token at best. Previous marshals who tried to take on these criminals were killed and Fuentes had no desire to join them. He provided Gene with a list of all known criminals and their bounties. Most were wanted dead or alive, some just alive. Gene returned to the ship with this information and he, Aisha and Suzuka each agreed it was hunting season.

Gene and Aisha preferred quantity over quality, going after every criminal they could easily find in bars, taverns, and brothels; while Suzuka preferred quality over quantity, going after the higher priced criminals who tended to be more private and discrete about their presence being known, even on Cielo Rojo. After both Gene and Aisha had each unsuccessfully attempted to bring in a criminal alive, the three of them agreed to work together when it was necessary to bring the criminal in standing on his own two feet.

During the next six months while Gene, Aisha and Suzuka were busy bounty hunting, Jim kept busy overhauling the ship while Melfina tended to Gene's many wounds, worked on improving her cooking skills and helping Jim out whenever she could. Because of the constant threat of retaliation on all their lives, the crew was force to stay on the ship as much as possible. Melfina was only allowed out to go grocery shopping if she was accompanied by one of the three bounty hunters. Jim could go out but only during the daytime and only when the others were in town. Some of the bounties took the three, clear to the other side of the planet. On those occasions, Jim and Melfina had to say on the ship. 

In six months the criminal population dwindled down from almost 20,000 to just over 200 due in kind by the efforts of the crew of the Outlaw Star, and by the number of criminals that fled the planet in fear of the newly arrived bounty hunters. The remaining criminals who had gone into hiding decided they had had enough of these bounty hunters. It was time for some payback.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

All in the Name of Love

Chapter I: The Ambush

Gene boarded the Outlaw Star at 3am. The smell of whiskey and cheap perfume still clung to him. He staggered to his quarters and stopped in front of the door long enough to steady himself before pressing the open button. The door slid open and the outlaw immediately saw Melfina sitting up on his bed, asleep once again. She roused from her light slumber the minute Gene stepped into the room. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned as she checked her watch. 

"Another half hour and I would have sent Aisha out to look for you."

Gene tossed his coat on the bed next to Melfina. He leaned over on the bed placing his hands against the wall on either side of her and lowering his face to within a centimeter of her face, he said. "What's the matter Mel? Jealous?" He gave her his big stupid grin.

The bio-android lowered her head and closed her eyes. Melfina had kept track of how frequently Gene had stayed out late drinking. Each time he did, she waited for him in his quarters to make sure he came home safe. And each time he smelled of whiskey and cheap perfume. Over fifty-two times, fifty-two times in the past four months alone. And each time he asked the same question. Each time she held her peace. Fifty-two times she said nothing, but not this time. "Yes." She whispered, carefully sliding under Gene's outstretched arms and off the bed. "But that's not the reason why. This is a dangerous place Gene. You've been fortunate so far but getting drunk and chasing after women each night isn't exactly keeping your guard up. You're going to get yourself killed if you're not more careful." Her concern clearly evident in her tone.

"Nag, nag, nag." The drunken redhead teased, waving his hands in front of his face. "Yes Mom, I'll be careful."

"Is that what you think I am Gene, just a nag? Is that all I am to you?" Melfina asked with watery eyes. Gene looked into Melfina's eyes. '_Nice going jerk, making her cry again._'

"No Melfina, I'm sorry. It's … Its just the booze talking. I didn't mean that. Really."

"The booze seems to be talking for you more and more Gene."

"It's this place, that's all. We've been here so long, it's just getting to me."

"Is… Is that why you go chasing after other women too?"

"Ugh." Taken aback by her bold statement.

"You know how I feel about you Gene. And after the Galactic Leyline, I thought you felt the same way. I guess I was wrong." Melfina hung her head and turned to walk out the door. 

Gene reached out for her to stop her. Placing his hands on her shoulders he turned her gently about to look at her face but Melfina kept her head hung and her eyes diverted from him.

"Melfina, please." He slouched at the shoulders to try and get himself closer to her eye level. Smiling his little boy grin. "Melfina, please look at me."

She slowly raised her head and looked into his eyes.

"Melfina, I do care about you. I didn't go through all that to get you back and not care about you."

"Then why do you keep going after other women? Is it…" She averted her eyes again, not able to take what she feared was the true reason for his leturous behavior.

"Is it because I'm not human?" A tear rolled down her cheek.

"What!? What ever gave you that idea? Melfina, look at me." Gene insisted.

She raised her tearful eyes to him again.

"Listen to me and believe me when I say as far as I am concerned, you are as human as human can be. In many ways your even more human than most. You're compassionate, and carrying even to those who would try to do you harm. You're intelligent and resourceful and a very fast learner. You make errors in judgement, just like we all do. Sometimes you learn from those errors, and sometimes you don't, just like we all do. I guess, maybe the reason I haven't acted on my feelings for you yet is because I was afraid of moving too fast. Then we came to this god-awful place and I've just been trying to keep myself numb, keep from feeling anything so I can do what I've got to do. I guess in the process I've been hurting you and that's something I never wanted to happen. But I promise, as soon as we get out of this place and back to Heifong things are going to be different. You'll see.

Melfina smiled, "Okay Gene, I trust you."

"Good, now it's late and we both should get some sleep, alright."

She nodded, "Alright."

Gene leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Melfina." He smiled.

"Goodnight Gene." She smiled back and walked out the door.

That night she slept more peacefully than she had over the past 6 months, taking Gene at his word that his behavior had to do with this awful place and not with her.

**********

In the morning everyone but Gene was already in the galley eating breakfast.

"That bum better get up soon." Aisha snapped before taking another drink of her coffee. "We've got 6 bounties that need to be taken alive and I want to get them before they skip town like the others."

"Cool your jets Aisha, I'm up."

"They all looked over to see the outlaw standing at the entry way to the galley, half dressed with a towel on his head to dry his hair.

"Amazing, you even managed to take a shower and its not even noon yet." Teased Jim.

"Now you're getting on me."

"It's just that most days these past few months, you haven't even gotten out of bed till one."

"Well, we're almost done cleaning up this planet and I'm anxious to get off this rock already. Right Melfina?" Throwing her a crocked smile. 

Melfina blushed slightly but said, "right," then turned towards the stove. "What would you like for breakfast Gene?" She asked automatically reaching for the eggs. 

"Just some coffee and toast will do. I'm not really hungry right now."

"Oh, okay." The bio-android grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee. Handing the cup to him, she turned and placed two slices of bread in the toaster. A minute later she buttered the bread and gave it to him on a plate.

"Thanks Melfina." He smiled at her again.

She smiled back then went about cleaning up after everyone else who had already finished breakfast. Quickly finishing his toast and coffee Gene asked Suzuka. "So how do you want to handle these six bounties that Aisha was talking about?"

Suzuka thought for a moment then responded. "Three of them are brothers and most likely are staying together. We probably should start with them."

"Agreed, lets go." Gene replied, setting his cup down and standing to leave.

"Hey, why didn't you ask me what I think?" Aisha asked angrily.

"Well, to be honest Aisha, I don't care what you think." Gene answered coolly as he walked out of the galley and to his quarters to finish getting dressed. Aisha's face turned red with anger as she clinched her fists and bared her teeth. 

"Relax Aisha, Gene only said that to get this exact reaction from you. He knows how valuable you are to this crew." Jim said, trying to ease the Ctarl Ctarl's anger.

"He better." The feline got up. "I'll meet you at airlock 2. There's something I forgot to do first." She said to Suzuka as she left the galley.

"May I have another cup of tea please." Suzuka asked politely.

"Oh, sure." Melfina grabbed the teapot and poured Suzuka another cup.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Melfina turned her attention to Jim.

"Is there anything else I can get you Jim?"

"No thanks Mel." The boy genius got up. "If anyone needs me I'll be on the bridge making some final repairs to the sensor array." And he walked out of the galley.

Melfina took a peek down the corridor from her vantagepoint behind the kitchen counter. Seeing no one she mustered her courage to speak.

"Suzuka?"

"Yes."

"May I ask you a question?"

"By all means." Suzuka answered still sipping her tea.

"Do you think this place, this planet has had a negative effect on Gene?"

"Negative? In what way?"

"Well, his behavior, his drinking, his womanizing. Do you think doing what the three of you have had to do these past 6 months has contributed to this behavior?"

Suzuka set her cup down and gave Melfina her complete attention.

"Melfina, you are a kind and carrying person with a sweet and gentle spirit, and you deserve to know and understand the truth."

"Oh"

"You must understand that people, all people are creatures of habit. We develop certain habits over our lifetime and unless there is a strong enough reason for us to want to change those habits, they tend to remain with us for the rest of our lives. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Now specifically speaking of Gene. Do I feel he has displayed unusual or excessive habitual behavior since we've been here? Perhaps, it does appear he has frequented the bars more regularly in the past two months. Is it due to the hostile environment of this planet, the ever-present danger of death with each bounty he pursues? That is more difficult to answer. Each person deals with the prospect of his or her own death differently. Some seek cardinal pleasures for fear that if they were to die suddenly, they do not wish to go with a sense of unfulfillment. Others seek spiritual fulfillment in anticipation for the possible after life they maybe going to soon. Still others seek out that which they long for most in life; a special person or place or may be a special object or activity. They cling to it as if it were life itself. Now which is Gene? Gene is a rather simple character. He tries to act tough but in reality he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He certainly cares for you Melfina, but he spent much of his adult life pursuing women strictly for his personal pleasure. Yes, I suppose he may be acting in this manner now because he fears his own death and this behavior may change later when the eminent prospect of death no longer looms so close. But what about the next time? Will it be your arms he seeks comfort from or the arms of another? All I can say to this is, Gene like all people is a creature of habit and the only way he is going to break that habit is for him to decide there is something or someone worth changing his life for. No one can make him change; he has to want to change." Suzuka took another sip of her tea. "I am sorry Melfina, I know this is not the answer you were seeking."

"That's alright Suzuka. It was an honest answer. That's all I really can ask for. Thank you."

"You are welcome." Suzuka stood up and walked out of the galley, heading for airlock 2.

Melfina picked up Suzuka's cup; looking down into it she saw her own reflection off the shallow remains. A single tear rolling off her cheek and into the cup.

**********

"Okay than it's agreed. We split up to find out where the Hudson brothers are hiding out and whoever finds them first contacts the other two."

Aisha and Suzuka both nodded in agreement.

"Good"

Just as Gene reached for the control panel, Gillium announced.

"Pardon the interruption."

"Yeah, what is it Gillium?"

"There appears to be several men positioning themselves at strategic locations at the space dock. It seems they are attempting to triangulate around the elevator shaft."

"Jim did you catch that?" Gene asked over his communicator.

"Yeah Gene, I'm already on the bridge and I'm bringing up a visual right now."

Scanning the dock area all Jim saw were an assortment of crates and equipment. 

"What are you talking about Gillium? There's no one down there."

"Sorry Jim, switching to infra-red."

Suddenly, several easily identifiable forms came into view.

Staring at the viewers Jim could make out three distinct groups about two dozen in each.

"Wow, looks like they mean business." Jim said to himself

"Hey Gene. I can see three groups about two dozen each. One about 30 meters at 2 o'clock from the elevator, the second about 40 meters at 10 o'clock and the third at 6 o'clock. They're all hiding inside crates and appear to be armed with an assortment of handguns and automatic weapons. I don't see any heavy-duty weaponry. Oh, wait a minute. No, at least one of them has a rocket launcher."

"Which one?"

"The group at 2 o'clock."

Melfina came rushing onto the bridge.

"Are they in danger? How is Gene?"

"We're fine Melfina. Fortunately, Gillium warned us before we stepped outside."

"It appears they intended to ambush us as we got off the elevator." Suzuka pointed out.

"So obviously we won't be taking the elevator down."

"I'll take the guys closest to the ship." Aisha said immediately.

"Okay but try not to scratch the paint job." Retorted Gene.

"Hmm, I make no promises." Aisha replied turning up her nose and placing her hands on her hips.

"I suppose I will take the group with the confirmed rocket launcher." Suzuka throw in.

"Okay, that leaves the group at 10 o'clock for me."

"What do you want us to do Gene?" Jim's voice came over the comm system.

"Be ready with the laser cannon, Suzuka and I may need cover fire as we descend the elevator shaft." Gene drew his pistol and checked the clip to see if it was full then he drew his caster and loaded it with a number 3 shell and secured it back in his coat."

"Let's do it." Aisha and Suzuka nodded in agreement. He pressed the button to open the door and they walked out onto the catwalk.

"Wait until we're almost to the elevator Aisha, then run back and climb down the ship. No reason to tip our hand too early."

"Right." Aisha agreed.

They walked casually towards the elevator, still a good twenty meters away. One of the criminals closest to the ship spoke over an old walkie-talkie. "They're making their way to the elevator. They don't suspect a thing."

The Outlaw Star's sensors picked it up easily. Jim forwarded the information to Gene.

"Gene, the group nearest the ship just told the others your location. They don't suspect a thing yet."

"Good." Was all the outlaw responded with as they approached the elevator. '_Three more meters and…_'

"GO AISHA!"

With that Aisha did a 180 and made a mad dash back towards the ship while Gene and Suzuka jumped up on top of the elevator frame. Gene pulled out his caster and took aim and fired. Suzuka drew her bokutou and unleashed a shockwave that reduced the crates the criminals were hiding in into splinters, taking out three of the crooks as well. The blast from the number 3 was just as devastating, killing four of the malefactors and reducing their cover to burnt sawdust. 

"Oh Shit! They know we're here!" The guy nearest the ship screamed into the walkie-talkie, not realizing that the other two groups were already aware of this fact since they were the ones attacked.

Aisha was two-thirds of the way back before Gene and Suzuka launched their attacks. Timing her jump just right, she threw herself towards the side of the ship. She was aiming for one of the seams and she hit her mark perfectly, along with the side of the ship with her face.

"Ouch!" Was her only reaction as she dug her fingers into the seam and slid down the side of the ship. To her advantage, this group of criminals was too preoccupied with watching their colleagues getting blown up to notice Aisha pulling out her metal whip that was attached to her belt. They had begun to open fire on Gene and Suzuka as they descended the elevator shaft. So Aisha decided to grab their attention. She snapped the whip in their direction. Still too far to actually strike them, the shockwave it produced was enough to knock one of them off his feet. Having reached the bottom of the body of the ship, the Ctarl Ctarl threw herself in the direction of some large crates that lay off to the side and behind her prey. The top crate collapsed and exploded with the force of her landing, showing the men below with splinters of wood and canned goods.

Aisha sucked the juice out of one can and tossed it aside. "Yum, peaches!" Then she jumped down to the ground behind them. Snapping her whip at them again, this time chunks of concrete flew in the air as the whip found its target, slicing two of them in half. The others turned and opened fire on her. She released a ferocious roar and snapped her whip again this time horizontally, decapitating five in one shot.

Realizing their guns were useless against her and terrified by what they just saw happen to seven of their partners the rest of them dropped their guns and took off running. 

"Hey you criminals, come back here!" Aisha yelled running after them.

Suzuka was the first to reach the cables under the elevator frame and was sliding down at a dizzying speed. Gene was close behind her. Still about 30 meters from the ground, Suzuka stopped herself and grabbed onto the frame of the elevator shaft then jumped down the remaining 30 meters sending another blast towards the bad guys who positioned themselves about 40 meters away directly in front of her. The blast took out eight of them; the rest began to run away.

Gene chose to be a little more conservative then Suzuka, waiting till he was just 10 meters from the ground to stop. Pressing his back to the steel structure of the elevator shaft he reloaded his caster with a number 12, pulled the trigger, waited a second longer then turned and took aim. Without the aid of sufficient cover this blast took out eleven. He holstered the caster and drew his pistol as he took off after the rest. 

"Jim, see if you can discourage them from running with the laser cannon." Gene said.

"Right!" Jim targeted the cannon and fired. The flash of light blinded the men that were running from Gene. Then the ground shook. Gene fired a warning shot.

"Drop your weapons and lay face down on the ground."

Two of the criminals responded by turning around and firing on Gene. His light shield deflected their bullets. He returned fire and took both men out. The rest dropped their guns and laid on the ground as Gene instructed.

Jim targeted the other fleeing criminals as well. 

"Nice shooting Jim, thanks a lot." Gene acknowledged his partner.

"Yes, thank you for your assistance Jim." Suzuka added. As she too made her captives take a prone position on the ground.

"You, I said face down!" Aisha stepped on the back of a man's head forcing it down. "You, I said hands out in front!" She kicked him in the back. Finally, feeling the need to acknowledge Jim in some way.

"I could have rounded them up myself mind you, but that was some nice shooting."

Jim grinned. "You're welcome Aisha."

"Mmm!" She replied.

"Contact the marshal and tell him he's going to need some extra cells." Gene said.

"Already did. He's on his way with all his deputies."

Gene bent over one of the criminals and pointed his pistol to his head.

"So where are the rest of your buddies? Held up somewhere, waiting to try and take us on again?"

Gene pressed the barrel of the gun to the criminal's head.

"Auu, no! They're at Torio's Tavern. They're there waiting to hear from us. If they don't hear from us within the hour, they'll take off this rock for good." The young felon confessed as nerves sweat covered his face.

**********

"Well Mr. Starwind, that's 230,000 wong. It would have been 40,000 wong more but the Hudson brothers were among those killed and they were wanted alive. Sorry," said the marshal.

"Well, easy come, easy go I guess." Gene shook the marshal's hand. "Have the funds transferred into my account as usual."

"My deputy is already working on it." The marshal pointed to one of his deputies with a pocket pad in his hand.

"Good." Gene began walking away. "Oh, by the way, you may want to stop by Torio's Tavern in a little while, and be sure your deputy is with you."

"You have a lead on the remaining criminals?"

"Maybe, if the word of a criminal can be trusted."

Gene waved and walked in the direction of Aisha and Suzuka.

"So how much did we make?" Asked an anxious Aisha.

"230,000 wong, could have been 270,000 but the Hudson brothers were among the dead."

"So that's 76,000 wong for each of us right?" Aisha asked grinning from ear to ear and rubbing her hands together just below her chin.

"No, actually that's 66,000 wong each and 30,000 wong for Jim for his assist. Remember, that's what we agreed."

"Hey, I didn't ask for an assist like you Gene, why should I have to pay?" The feline snapped.

"Nor did I but 10,000 wong is hardly worth arguing about." Responded Suzuka.

"Mmm, maybe not for you Suzu but I need every wong I can get."

"Don't call me that."

"Well, if that's the case then we need to get going." Gene addressed Aisha's earlier comment.

"Where?" Asked the assassin.

"To Torio's Tavern, that's where the rest of the bountyheads are held up."

"Well, why didn't you say so! Let's go!" The Ctarl Ctarl ran off in the direction of their rented hovercraft.

"I thought I just did." Gene said under his breath.

"Don't bother, It's not worth arguing over it with her." Suzuka advised as they walked towards the craft.

"Like you telling her not to call you Suzu?" Gene grinned.

"Touché." Suzuka replied straight-faced.

"Gene, where are you guys going?" Jim asked over the comm.

"We're heading to where the remaining bountyheads are held up. We should be back in a couple hours. You and Melfina just sit tight. We'll see you in a few."

"Okay, but you guys be careful."

"Always." Gene said confidently.

"Yeah right." Jim responded sarcastically.

"Come on you two. The bad guys aren't going to wait all day for us." Aisha yelled from the back seat of the craft.

Gene and Suzuka looked at each other; they grinned, shook their heads then took off running towards the vehicle; jumped in and sped away.


	3. Chapter 2: Part 1

All in the Name of Love

Chapter II: Part 1

Out of breath from having arrived on foot, the three criminals that managed to escape entered Tario's Tavern.

"What happened?" One of the chief criminals yelled.

"They ambushed us." Responded one of the breathless escapees.

"Ambushed you? You were supposed to ambush them!" Responded another chief.

"How did they ambush you? There were 64 of you and only three of them,'' queried another.

"They… used… some powerful magic." Said one.

"Yeah, they must be Kei Pirates, not Outlaws like we thought." Another of the escapees said.

"Pirates my ass! Pirates don't go bounty hunting this way." Said another who was looking out the window.

"Let's get out of here? If we make a run for it we might still have a chance to get off this planet alive!" Yet another exclaimed.

"No! It ends here. It ends now." One of the leaders said. With those words everyone took a seat and waited.

A few moments later, Gene, Suzuka and Aisha walked through the Tavern doors. A quick look around told them there was a little over a hundred people crammed into the small tavern. No one made a move. With all eyes on them, waiting to see what they would do first, Gene made his way over to the bar. Aisha and Suzuka followed. Trusting in both of Aisha and Suzuka's senses rather than true bravado, Gene stood with his back to his prey. Aisha stood to his right and Suzuka to his left.

The bartender nervously walked up to them. "What will it be?"

"Ctarl Ale."

"Single malt Scotch on the rocks."

"Oolong Tea."

"Lady, this is a bar not a country club"

"Sake, hot."

The bartender turned on a small burner under the bar, with trembling hands; he placed the sake bottle in a pot of water and set it on the burner. He then grabbed a liter bottle of Ctarl Ale, dusted it off and handed it over to Aisha. He turned around, grabbed a bottle of single malt scotch, filled a glass with ice and poured the scotch giving it to Gene. Finally, he turned off the burner, slipping on a glove, placed the bottle in front of Suzuka along with a small ceramic cup.

"That'll be…" The bartender started to say.

"Here." Gene tossed a 50 wong bill on the bar. "Keep the change."

The bartender grabbed the bill with a shaky hand and nodded, mouthing thanks without a word passing his lips. Not able to take the tension any longer, he made his way to the far end of the bar.

Aisha opened the bottle and took a big swig. 

"Aah! Now that's Ale." She took another drink.

Gene took a long slow drink of his whiskey, closing his eyes momentarily as the cold liquid burned the back of this throat.

Suzuka gingerly poured herself a cup of sake and with both hands raised the cup to her mouth. She took a small sip and savored the hot flavorful wine. Finishing the cup with a second sip, she poured herself a second cup.

Growing impatient, one of the lead criminals barked out. "Hey Outlaw! Do you ever go anywhere without your two bitches?"

The rest of the criminals broke out in laughter.

Suzuka didn't even flinch. _'Words from a fool, a soon to be dead fool at that.'_

Aisha, on the other hand, tightened her grip on her bottle and clinched her teeth. "GRRR!"

"Easy Aisha, you'll get your chance to make him eat his words soon enough." Gene whispered. Aisha nodded ever so slightly and continued drinking her ale.

Finishing the last of his whiskey, Gene set his glass down away from himself. He looked over at Suzuka who was finishing the last of her sake. She set her cup down and pushed it away from herself much as Gene had. They both turned towards Aisha who had her bottle tilted straight down over her mouth, trying to coax the last few drops out. Setting the bottle down Aisha turned towards the other two and grinned.

"Let's do it." She said, removing her metal whip from her belt and setting it on the bar. "I'm going to take special pleasure in tearing these assholes apart with my bare hands."

They turned around in unison to see over a hundred guns pointed in their direction.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay in posting the next chapter. I seem to have lost my beta-reader, though I don't know for sure since I've been unable to contact him and haven't heard from him since he sent me his comments on Chapter 1. Nick, if you're out there please email me and let me know what's going on. 

Anyway, in order to get this story posted, I've decide to brake the story up into smaller, easier to edit chapters. So while chapter 2 was originally 12 pages in Word, this part of chapter 2 is the first 3 pages. I'll try to find a good breaking point each time. 

As I mentioned before, there are parts of this story that make reference to my other OLS story, The Rise before the Fall, which is here on FF.net as well as on www.noscams.org (click on fanfic).

Thanks for taking the time to read my story, I hope you enjoy it. ^_^

A. Amishi

PS: Just 16 days till ACEN'03!!! ^___^


	4. Chapter 2: Part 2

Disclaimer: See prologue.

All in the Name of Love

Chapter II: Part 2

"Your bounty hun'n days are over Outlaw." Travis Tanner, the most wanted man in the sector said, grinning ear to ear.

Gene held his hands out in front of himself. "Alright, now before we start getting nasty with you folks I'd suggest that anyone here that doesn't have a bounty on their head should leave now or run the risk of ending up dead."

Gene paused and looked from one end of the bar to the other.

"No, no one, okay well don't go crying to your mommy when you're dead."

With that Gene drew his double barreled snubbed-nosed shotgun and his semi-auto pistol. A barrage of bullets came his way before he fired once but his light shield deflected most of them. One bullet brushed past his left shoulder while another winged him in the thigh. The criminals Gene fired at weren't so lucky; Gene took out the two closest to him with the shotgun and five shots from the semi-auto found their marks as well. Gene used the sixth bullet to shot out the leg of the large round table closest to him to use for cover.

Suzuka's light shield did much the same for her while her bokutou deflected five others before she sent a shockwave slicing through the crowd of criminals, killing eleven. She dashed through the crowd slicing with such speed and accuracy that nineteen more died before they even hit the floor. Reaching the wall at the far end of the tavern, Suzuka rocketed back towards the bar, dismembering a dozen more. She took cover behind the bar just for a moment to get her bearings and catch her breath.

Aisha bared her claws and made her hands like daggers as she darted between the tables, her aim was uncanny, slashing at the throats of her adversaries. Blood spattered everywhere; her hands and her arms were covered in blood by the time she killed her 20th "_asshole_".

Gene continued firing, taking out seven more as he pulled out a grenade. Checking to make sure neither Suzuka nor Aisha were anywhere near his intended target, he pulled the pin and tossed it then holstered his pistol, pulled out his caster, loaded it with his last number 3 shell, he pulled the trigger. The force of the explosion from the grenade slammed the table hard into his back. 

"RRR!" He spun around and aimed his caster. As the smoke from the blast cleared he could make out the dim glow from what he estimated were three light shields. "Let's see how strong your shields are!" He screamed. The blast from the caster took out 20, including the three with the light shields, and those who were left could hardly stand. 

The blast distracted most of Suzuka's prey long enough for her to send two shockwaves in succession. Ten went down with the first, six more went down with the second. Only one man remained standing, protected by a light shield. The assassin charged at the criminal who tossed his empty pistol to the ground and pulled out a pair of foot-long daggers as he charged at her. They crossed blades six times before Suzuka sliced off the man's right hand then spun and opened a canyon across his chest, shattering his ribs, puncturing both lungs and opening up his heart. Suzuka moved quickly to the side to avoid the spray of blood that shot out from the open cavity. 

Aisha took special pleasure in killing off the last 14 criminals in her section of the tavern. She rushed up to them, one at a time, and sunk her fingers into the side of their heads penetrating their skull then she snapped their heads around, breaking their necks instantly and tearing off half their face. When Aisha rushed one particular criminal he stumbled back and dropped the gun in his right hand. Dropping to his knees, he began pleaded for his life.

"Please, don't kill me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, really I am. Please don't kill me."

Aisha looked around quickly to make sure it wasn't a trap. After realizing no one else was standing she walked up to this criminal and placed her hand on top of his head.

"Why should I spare your life?" She growled.

"Auu, be…because if not, I might do this." His eyes went from pleading to psychotic in an instant. He quickly pulled out another pistol he had hidden behind his back with his left hand and brought it up intending to aim it point blank at Aisha's heart. As her eye caught sight of the gun Aisha instantly squeezed down with the hand on her victim's head. His skull caved in as if Aisha were crushing a Styrofoam cup. Her hand made contact with his brain as she continued to squeeze. A small explosion of gray matter shot out of his head. The criminal convulsed for an instant. A bullet shot out of the gun in his hand and harmlessly struck the floor between her feet then he collapsed.

Three more shots rang out behind Aisha. She turned around to see three criminals fall, the result of Gene's marksmanship. Suzuka pulled out her watch. 

"Just over a minute."

"Not a bad day's work. Wouldn't you agree?" Gene asked giving her the thumbs up.

"Not entirely disappointing I suppose."

"Speak for yourself!"

Gene and Suzuka turned towards Aisha.

"Look at me." She held up her blood soaked hands. "I'll never get all these blood stains out of my clothes, not to mention the smell from my hands."

"Well, no one told you not to use your whip."

Aisha snarled at Gene. "Where's the bathroom in this place?"

"I don't know." Gene said after looking left and right. Suzuka took a look behind the bar. "He is not back here."

Gene raised his hands to his mouth and forming a megaphone out of them, yelled. "Hey! Bartender! All's clear, you can come out now!"

A door that was a few steps from the end of the bar opened slowly. The bartender poked his head out, scanning the damage done to the tavern.

"Is it safe?"

"Yes, it is safe to come out now." Suzuka assured him. "By the way, where are your facilities?"

"Oh, ah behind the stairs there, over in the back."

Suzuka turned to Aisha to confirm she heard his directions. Aisha was already bounding over dead bodies and broken tables and chairs, heading in that direction.

Suzuka turned her attention back to the barkeep. "Would you be so kind as to contact the marshal for us?"

"Oh, yeah, sure." He headed down the length of the bar until he got to the video phone where he quickly dialed the marshal's number.

"You know, the owner of this place isn't gonna be happy."

"Don't worry, we'll cover the cost of any damages to his tavern."

"That's not it, this place got trashed on a regular basis, at least it did. What he's gonna be mad 'bout is that you killed off more than half his regulars."

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry to take so long to post. I hope the wait was worth it. ^_^ 

Thanks for your comments of support. They really meant a lot to me.

A. Amishi

PS: Just 5 more days till ACEN'03!!!!! ^_____^


	5. Chapter 2: Part 3

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

All in the Name of Love

Chapter II: Part 3

The three were sitting at the bar enjoying a drink while the marshal and two of his deputies went through the task of identifying the bodies and totaling up the bounty. One of the deputies called the marshal over. Conversing amongst themselves quietly, Aisha took another drink of Ctarl Ale and said. "One of the guys we killed didn't have a bounty on his head."

Suzuka and Gene turned their attention to Aisha.

"In fact, he didn't have a criminal record at all."

"You could hear them from over here?" asked Gene.

"Mmm hmm." She nodded while taking another drink.

"Do you know which one of us killed him." Suzuka asked.

Aisha listened carefully for a minute then said. "He died from a bullet to the head." She turned. "That means you Gene."

As if right on queue.

"Hey Gene!" The marshal called.

Gene turned around, "yeah."

"Looks like one of you got a little trigger happy and gunned down an innocent man." said the marshal.

"Boy is more like it, this guy couldn't be more than nineteen years old." added the deputy.

"Well, that would have been me. I'll admit I didn't go around asking everyone in here for proof of identification but I did say for anyone not wanted by the law to leave."

The marshal turned to the bartender who was making a futile attempt at straightening up the place.

"Is that right Pete?"

"Ugh, ah, yeah marshal that's right. The red-haired fella over there made it real clear they were here to take down all them criminals and if there be anyone not a criminal here. They udda leave in a hurry like. He waited some couple minutes before the figh'n start'd. No one took heed o' his warning, no one. Cep me, I hid out in the boss's office till they gave me the all clear."

"Well, that's good enough for me. Must have been a recruit of Tanner's." He looked down at the body. "Pete, the deputy here is going to take down your statement and have you sign it. Alright?"

"Sure Marshal, anythin you say."

The deputy closest to Pete walked over to him and pulled out a palm pad to take down Pete's statement. Satisfied the issue was dead; Gene turned around and went back to his drink.

**********

"All right, your total bounty comes out to 770,000 wong. Unfortunately, I'm not authorized to sign over a sum that large. You'll have to hang around town another day or two till I can get authorization. That won't be a problem will it?"

"No, I suppose not." Replied a disappointed Gene.

"You'll have to settle up with the owner of the tavern on your own." The marshal added.

"Yeah, okay. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, you're free to go."

As they walked out into the mid-afternoon sun Aisha caught sight of Jim and Melfina running in their direction.

"Hey you guys, Jim and Mel are coming."

Gene and Suzuka turned in the direction Aisha was pointing.

Gene stepped forward to meet them.

"Jim, what's wrong?"

"That's what we came to find out." Jim responded.

"Gene, you've been shot!" Melfina rushed over to him to check his wounds.

"Just a couple of scratches, that's all."

But there was no stopping Melfina from dawdled over him.

"Aisha! You're covered in blood." A shocked Jim announced.

"Don't worry about it Jim, it's not mine." Aisha waved off the boy's concerns.

"So what happened?" Jim asked. "You guys left without saying a word."

"A stool pigeon from over at the space dock said the last of the bountyheads were held up at this tavern." He pointed at Tario's Tavern.

"He said they were planning on leaving the system if they didn't hear back from them within the hour." 

"So we raced over here to get them before they had a chance to get away." Aisha added enthusiastically. "And it was worth it, 770,000 wong worth it. He, he, he." She clapped her hands together and smiled broadly.

"Though we did cause a considerable amount of damage to the Tavern. I am sure repairs will take a considerable portion of the total bounty." injected Suzuka.

"That was you and Gene. I don't know why I should have to cover any of the damages from my cut?" The cat girl protested, placing her hands on her hips.

"Because that's what we agreed. Whenever more than one of us would take on a bounty, we would all share in any damage expense. And if I remember correctly, you were the first to agree." Gene reminded her.

"Hmm." Aisha pouted.

"So what do we do now? Can we finally leave this place and go back home to Heifong?" asked Melfina. 

"Unfortunately no. The marshal isn't authorized to pay out a bounty this large so we have to wait around a couple more days to get our money." The outlaw stated.

"Oh." Melfina's expression fell slightly.

"I say we celebrate!" The Ctarl Ctarl yelled.

"I'm all for that. What about you Suzuka?" The outlaw asked.

"As much as I enjoy all of your company, I feel I must decline. Drinking myself senseless is not my idea of a good time." She started off in the direction of the spaceport.

"Suit yourself." Gene responded. "So Melfina, Jim, what do you say? Want to celebrate?"

"Sure." Responded Melfina with a smile.

"Sure, lets start by getting something good to eat." added Jim.

"Sounds good, lets go." Gene turned towards the car. 

"Wait!" yelled the Ctarl Ctarl.

"What now?"

"I'm not going out to celebrate looking like this." She said gesturing with her hands to her bloodstained clothes.

Gene grabbed the edge of his shirt and gave it a whiff. "Hmm, I suppose I could afford a change of clothes and a shower too. Lets go."

Jim and Aisha headed over to the car Jim and Melfina arrived in, and Gene and Melfina went to the car he had driven, got in and started to head for the Outlaw Star. As they approached Suzuka, who was already a kilometer way, Jim offered her a ride back to the ship. She accepted it, getting in the back seat and remaining quiet during the ride while Aisha entertained Jim with stories of her heroic actions.

~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry it took so long to update. I hope to update more frequently in the future, at least once a week.

While OLS ff doesn't get the attention it once did, it's still one of my favorite shows and has some of my favorite characters in all of anime. For this reason, I will continue to update this story to completion. I hope those of you who do read this enjoy it. I know I enjoy writing about Aisha, Mel, Jim, Gene and Suzuka. ^_^

A. Amishi


	6. Chapter 2: Part 4

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 2: Part 4

Aboard the Outlaw Star, Suzuka retreated to her quarters while Aisha rushed to beat Gene to the shower. The outlaw didn't mind though since it gave Melfina time to clean and dress his wounds. Jim was on the bridge when Gillium informed him of an incoming transmission. 

"Hello, is Captain Starwind available." Asked an important looking gentleman seated behind a large marble-topped desk with several other officials behind him. 

"I'm afraid Captain Starwind is currently indisposed. I am his business partner, Jim Hawking. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, we were hoping to do something for you and your crew. I am Oscar Del Rio, the Regional Governor of Cielo Rojo. We would be honored if you would grace us at a celebration in your honor." Stated the Governor.

"Really!" Jim grew wide-eyed as a huge grin spread across his face.

"Yes, most definitely. We are most grateful for all that you have done to return our planet to the law-abiding citizens of Cielo Rojo. We hope you will choose to stay on our planet long enough to allow us to show you what real Cielo Rojo hospitality is like. We have planned a street festival in downtown New Santa Fe. All of the mayors of the cities on our planet will be coming to honor you as heroes and several businesses have gifts of appreciation for each of you. We hope you will all be able to attend."

"Oh, we will be there. Most definitely." A very excited Jim exclaimed. "When are we expected?"

"The downtown region is almost ready and the food and drink has already been delivered. Give the word and we can have a police escort ready to lead you straight into town in a matter of minutes."

"Well" Jim paused, "I guess we could be ready in about 45 minutes. If that is alright?"

"That will be fine. We look forward to having the honor of your presence at your celebration." 

"Thank you Governor."

"No Mr. Hawking, I thank you, I thank all of you." With that the transmission ended.

"WOHO!" Jim jumped out of his seat and ran over to his partner's quarters.

In Gene's quarters, Melfina was putting the finishing touches on the bandage on his leg.

"How's that?" She smiled.

Gene placed his hand on his thigh just above the wound and flexed his leg up and down. "Feels good, thank you Melfina." He smiled at her.

Blushing slightly, "It was nothing." She shifted her eyes away from Gene's powerful gaze. 

He reached up with his hand and placed it under her chin, bringing it up to force her to look into his eyes. Her eyes grew large as she stared into his dark, laughing eyes. They stared at each other for several moments not saying a word. Slowly, Gene started to lean forward, bringing their lips within centimeters of each other. Melfina parted her lips ever so slightly. It had been a long time since Gene had kissed her last and the anticipation was almost more than she could bear. And just as their lips began to touch…

BANG, BANG, BANG!!

"Hey Gene, open up!" A familiar voice yelled from behind the door.

The unexpected interruption caused them to bump foreheads, Melfina getting the worst end of it.

"Aww!" She began rubbing above her left eye.

"Auu, sorry Mel." Gene rubbed himself over his right eye. "Are you alright?"

"Haa, I'm fine." She smiled as she stood up. 

"Gene! Come on, it's important!" Jim insisted, still waiting for his partner to open the door.

Finally Gene got up and opened it. "What's wrong Jim. What's so urgent?"

Seeing Gene in just his underwear with Melfina standing behind him, Jim began to blush. "Aaa, I… aaa… " His eyes kept darting from Gene to Mel and back. 

Seeing his partner's embarrassment, Gene couldn't help but tease his little friend. "What's the matter Jim? Cat cut your tongue. Ha, ha, ha."

"Gene, you pervert." Jim scowled at him.

"Easy little Jim, Mel was just bandaging up my wounds." He said, flexing his arm.

"Oh," Jim noticed the blush come over Melfina's face as she realized what Jim was implying by his comment. This caused Jim to blush even more as he hung his head in shame for thinking such a thing was going on.

"Well, Jim, what's so important that you practically knocked the door down?"

With that Jim's head sprang up, "Oh yeah, we just got a transmission from the regional governor. Seems the whole planet wants to honor us with a celebration. The Governor and all of the mayors are going to be there, he even said that several businesses are planning on giving us gifts of appreciation."

"What?"

"Yeah, they're throwing a street festival in our honor in New Santa Fe. A police escort will be here in about 40 minutes, so hurry up and get ready." With that Jim ran down the hall to let Aisha and Suzuka know. 

"A street festival?" Melfina questioned, still rubbing her forehead.

Gene turned around and walked over to her. "Yeah, it's like a big outdoor party. Sounds like it should be a lot of fun." He reached up and touched where Mel had been rubbing. It was a little red but no bruise at least. "Here" He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Better?"

Melfina smiled, "mmm, hmm."

"Well, you better go change."

"Change?"

"Yeah, well if we're going to be rubbing elbows with the big-wigs and accepting gifts, I guess we should be dressed up for it. Don't you think?" He suggested.

She nodded and exited his room.

**********

"Are you sure you won't join us Suzuka?" Jim asked one last time. "They want to honor all of us. And since you earned the most from the bounties, you should definitely be there don't you think?"

"I understand your logic Jim but I did not take on the bounties for praise or adulation. The financial compensation is adequate reward for me. Besides, in my profession it is definitely an undesirable thing to be easily recognized. I prefer to keep my identity as anonymous as possible. Don't worry about me. I will be fine. Go and have a good time. You and the crew deserve it." 

Jim knew there was nothing left for him to say to her. She had returned to her meditation, which marked the end of any further discussion on the matter.

**********

Thirty minutes later, everyone except Suzuka met at the main air lock. Gene was dressed in a dark blue suit and a light blue shirt with the top button undone and no tie in sight.

Jim has on a clean pair of beige slacks and a brown polo.

Melfina was wearing a red, halter-top, form fitting mini dress with pale orange and yellow swirls on it, and a pair of red, two-inch, open-toed heels.

Aisha had on a skin-tight yellow-pastel tub mini-dress and a pair of black stiletto heels.

"Everyone ready?" Gene inquired. 

Everyone nodded to the affirmative. So they headed out the ship and to the celebration.


	7. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 3

Aboard the Outlaw Star

---

After confirming with Gillium that the other crewmembers had left the ship, Suzuka began undoing her sash. With more than half of it undone, visible bloodstains appeared on the inner layers. With the sash off, Suzuka pulled her kimono open to reveal both an entry and an exit hole on her left side, just below her rib cage. By sheer will she managed to slow her heart rate, thus reducing the amount of blood loss. Now she gritted her teeth and inserted her finger into the hole. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. 

"Good, no organs hit, just as I thought."

She removed her finger and wiped the blood off on her ruined sash. She opened the bottom drawer of the built-in-dresser and retrieved a small pouch. Rising, she took one last look at the wound.

"Well, it was bound to happen someday."

She exited her quarters and headed for the galley, holding her kimono closed with one hand for modesty sake.

While still on route to the galley, Gillium 2 appeared along his service rail. "Hello again Suzuka. I know you said the others went to celebrate and you asked for some privacy. I just wished to inquire if you had any idea when they intend to return?"

"Why don't you call them?"

"I have tried several times, but I have not received a response."

"Unfortunately, I am as aware of their expected return time as you are." Suzuka responded.

"Very well, I will leave you to your privacy then Suzuka… Oh my, Suzuka are you aware that you are bleeding?"

Suzuka could not help but crack a small grin.

"Yes Gillium, I am aware but I would prefer to keep it private. The others need not know. Do you understand?"

"Yes Suzuka, I believe I do understand. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good."

"I hope your wound is not serious."

"No, nothing I cannot mend myself. Thank you for your concern."

"Not at all. You have proven to be a valued member of this ship's crew. I would hate to lose you."

"Thank you again Gillium. But now I really must tend to my wound."

"Yes, of course. Good day Suzuka."

"Good day Gillium."

The Gillium pod sped off towards the bridge while Suzuka continued towards the galley. Once there, she grabbed two pots. She filled one, half way with water and poured just a trickle of water in the other. Setting both pots on the stove and turning on the burners, she dug into her pouch and took out a folded cloth. Unfolding it very carefully, she retrieved several dried herbs that were inside and placed them in the half-filled pot. She stared at the pot for a moment, finally deciding to add a few more leaves to it. Finally satisfied that she added the correct amount to the boiling water; she folded the cloth back up with the remaining herbs and placed it back in the pouch. Then Suzuka removed another object from the pouch. It was rectangular shaped and appeared not to have been opened for many years. She carefully unfolded the layers of what resembled waxpaper, revealing a yellowish green substance that had the consistency of hardened cream cheese. Suzuka retrieved a knife from the utensil draw and cut a piece approximately 5 centimeters in length and deposited it in the pot with the trace amount of water. The heat and water served to liquefy the substance and Suzuka let it boil down to a paste. Refolding the remaining substance, she placed it back in the pouch and retrieved a small needle and some surgical thread.

Once the paste reached the desired consistency, Suzuka removed it from the flame and allowed it to cool slightly. Then she retrieved a cup from the cupboard and poured the herbal tea into the cup, taking care not to get any of the leaves into the cup. She raised the cup to her mouth. The odor was quite offensive and Suzuka hesitated from taking a sip but knowing what she must do, she took a drink. It tasted like pure acid and burned going down her throat. She set the cup down and grabbed a napkin. Using the knife she used earlier, she scooped out most of the pasty substance onto the napkin. Holding the napkin close to the wound she forced the substance into the hole with her fingers. The pain of the bullet passing through her was nothing compared to how much this was hurting her. 

"Augh! Rrrr!" Suzuka grimaced as she continued to apply more of the substance. Satisfied she got enough in through the entry hole, she proceeded to repeat the process at the exit hole. Having finished filling the hole with the pasty substance, Suzuka reached for the needle and thread, and carefully stitched herself up applying a dozen small stitches to both the front and back, her teeth clinched the entire time and her breathing labored. Once she was finished stitching herself up, Suzuka scooped up the remaining portion of the paste and applied a liberal amount to both sides of the hole. Then she removed some gauze bandages from her pouch and covered the wounds. She placed the needle and thread, back in the pouch and closed it. Then she washed her hands and the two pots and the knife. Picking up the cup of tea and once again hesitating momentarily, Suzuka took a deep breath and finished off the cup, then washed the cup too.

Returning to her quarters, she got another kimono from her dresser as well as another sash. She took off the bloodstained kimono and looking at herself in the mirror, deciding to redo her wrap that served as her bra. Once she had it off, she considered taking a shower but realizing that would have been best before applying the bandages, she grabbed fresh clothes and a washcloth. Gathering up the fresh clothes and wash cloth in one arm, and her dirty clothes in the other arm, she proceeded to the laundry facilities to deposit her clothes in the washer before heading to the bathroom to wash up, modesty be damned.

**********

Suzuka sat quietly on the floor of her quarters, deep in meditation. By controlling her breathing and her heart rate, she could almost feel her body healing itself. She had heard Gillium's attempt to draw her attention twice before but chose to ignore him. This time she responded.

"Yes Gillium, you may open the door."

The door slid open.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, I was just wondering if you may have reconsidered your earlier decision? After all the celebration is in your honor as much as it is in Gene's and Aisha's. It has been my experience that most humans enjoy being recognized for their accomplishments."

"Perhaps, but I am not most people. I do what I do for my own reasons, not for the approval of others."

"Of course, I did not mean to imply…"

"That is alright Gillium, I did not intend to get defensive. Besides, the best thing for my wound right now is rest."

"Yes, of course. I apologize for disturbing you once again. I will leave you to recoup your strenght. I will only disturb you again in case of an emergency."

"Thank you Gillium. In that case, goodnight."

"Goodnight Suzuka. Pleasant dreams."

The door closed and Suzuka could hear Gillium rail away. A bittersweet smile crossed Suzuka's face. _'Sweet dreams. Umm… I haven't had one of those in a long time, a very long time.'_ She went back to her meditation. When she got up and finally went to bed, she could not exactly recall.


	8. Chapter 4: Part 1

Disclaimer: See Prologue

All in the Name of Love

Chapter IV: Part 1

The street festival in New Santa Fe was the biggest event any of the 17 cities on Cielo Rojo had seen in years. People danced in the streets, bands played a mixture of old traditional folk music as well as modern music, the city's main street had twenty huge grills set up for a good old-fashioned barbecue. Since water was a premium commodity on Cielo Rojo, cattle were not allowed on the planet but an indigenous animal, a slow-moving, toothless reptile was widely raised as cattle. Though not much to look at alive, their meat was tender and juicy, and something of a delicacy off this planet. In fact, demand for it was growing so fast that saffero, as they were called; ranching was expected to surpass the tequila distilleries as the primary industry on Cielo Rojo. But here, saffero was what everyone used to barbecue.

"This stuff is great. I can't believe we've been here six months and never once had this." Jim said enthusiastically, wiping a big smug of sauce from his chin with his napkin.

"That's because we saw that whole one hanging in the butcher shop window and got scared off by how ugly it was." Gene reminded him.

"Mmm, nothing like eating the flesh of your enemies." Aisha unwittingly said aloud.

"Ugh?" Melfina, Jim, and Gene said in unison, staring at Aisha as if expecting an explanation. It took her a minute to realize they were staring at her; she was so engrossed in eating her saffero ribs and prime roast.

"Umm? What? … …What did I say?" She asked, wide-eyed, sauce all over her mouth.

"You said there was nothing like eating the flesh of your enemies. Why is the saffero your enemy? Melfina asked.

"Oh, you must have heard me wrong. I said, there's nothing like eating the flesh of your prey." Aisha lied in an attempt to cover her earlier slip.

"No, I heard enemies as well." Jim said.

"So did I." Gene added.

"Hey! What's everyone gang'in up on me for? So I had a slip of the tongue, so what!" She stuck two rib bones in her mouth and pulled them out as clean as a whistle. "Thish shtuff ish goood! Wee goot thoo maake soore wee thake shome hoome wuff ush."

"I agree. This meat is better than anything we can afford to get even at Heifong." Jim concurred.

"Shouldn't we try and contact Suzuka to see if she would like to join us?" Melfina asked.

"She didn't want to celebrate with us, so it's her loss." Gene reasoned.

"Yeah, but she didn't know the whole planet was going all out for us." Jim added.

"Oh, alright." Gene pressed down on his communicator that doubled as an earring. "Gillium."

"Yes Gene, what can I do for you?"

"Is Suzuka around?"

"She is resting in her quarters and left specific instructions not to be disturbed."

Turning to Jim, "Well, there you go." He went back to eating his steak.

"Gillium, this is Jim," not satisfied with Gene's attempt to reach Suzuka.

"Yes Jim, what may I do for you?"

"Go to Suzuka's quarters and let her know she's missing a great party. Ask her if she'd like to come, I can pick her up in 10 minutes."

"Well Jim, Suzuka was very specific about not wanting to be disturbed… but I suppose I can go ask. One moment please."

A few minutes later, "Jim, Suzuka thanks you for your kind offer but she prefers to stay in her quarters and rest."

"Told you." Gene said to Jim with his mouth full.

"Pig!"

"Pardon me Jim, what did you call me?" Gillium asked.

"Sorry Gillium, I was talking to Gene. Okay, well thanks for trying. Later Gillium."

"Oh, Jim?"

"Yes Gillium."

"Approximately, when do you anticipate returning to the ship?"

"I don't know, probably around midnight or one. Why?"

"No reason, I simply wanted to know."

"Goodbye Gillium."

"Goodbye Jim."

"That stupid computer talks too much." Gene asserted.

"At least he knows how to carry a normal conversation."

"Hey, I know how to care a normal conversation." Gene spat back defensively.

"Yeah, right." Jim said sarcastically as he turned his attention back to his meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, and being presented numerous awards and gifts, and promises of gifts from both government officials and several private businesses; Gene, Jim, Aisha and Melfina found themselves wondering down the city's entertainment district, trying to decide what to do next. For a small town in a largely agricultural planet, there were a large number of nightclubs and bars. Many of the bars spring up because of the large criminal element that now no longer existed on the planet, but the various settlers that came to Cielo Rojo opened most of the nightclubs. Now, most of the original settlers were from what would back then, be called Latin American countries, so many clubs featured music from places once called Argentina, Brazil, Columbia and Mexico. But while Aisha enjoyed the beat of this type of music, both Gene and Jim couldn't take more then a few minutes of it.

The other types of clubs that were around in abundance were of the retro-European variety that were opened by the planets second wave of settlers, mostly western European, from places once called Ireland, England, France, Germany and Italy. While some clubs featured a certain type of music, like polka music at one of the German clubs; most featured music from a particular era and some from a particular musical group long since passed away. Clubs called The Beatles Club, The Rolling Stones Club, The A Pour Vedette En Bas Club, The Elektrisches Paradies Club and The Amore Proprio Club, dotted the main street.

"How about this one?" Jim asked.

"The Beatle Club." Aisha read, then the _S_ flashed on for a minute then back off.

"It's the Beatles Club." Corrected Gene.

"I know that," Aisha snapped, "now" she said under her breath.

"Let's try this place." Jim insisted.

"You want to go to a place named after a group that named themselves after a bug?" Gene countered.

"I'm with Gene, this place sounds stupid." Aisha added.

Melfina walked up to the sign next to the entrance that gave a brief history about the band and the club. "Umm, it says here that the group called the Beatles came from Liverpool, England and were the most popular band in the latter half of the 20th Century. Their music has sold more than any other group in music history." She turned to face her friends. "Come on, let's see what it's like?"

"Yeah, if we don't like it we'll leave. Simple as that." Jim added.

"Oh, alright." Gene replied tersely.

Grudgingly Aisha followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay between updates. I hope to make several updates to this story in the coming week. Hope you enjoy them. ^_^

By the way, hope you like Beatles music. ^_~

A. Amishi


	9. Chapter 4: Part 2

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter IV: Part 2

Inside, the club was rather dark. Missing, were the bright neon and strobe lights Gene was accustomed to at most of the clubs he favored. Here, there was a sizeable dance floor but no one was dancing yet, and a stage with instruments but no band playing. Faintly in the background they could make out music but it was way too soft to hear clearly, let alone dance to. 

"This place is lame, let's go." Gene immediately observed and insisted.

"Wait a minute. Let's give this place a chance. Maybe the band is between sets." Jim insisted, "Let's head over to the bar and find out."

"Okay." Gene responded impatiently.

They made their way over to the bar, taking in the appearance of the crowd. While more than half the people in attendance looked and dressed like most everyone else they've seen in the past 6 months, there were small groups of people dressed in odd, dated clothes, sporting strange hair styles and strange looking glasses.

At the bar, the bartender also sported retro-styled clothes and haircut.

"Good evn'in folks. What might be your poison for tonight?" He said in a flawless Liverpool accent.

"Poison?" Aisha's expression told him she didn't understand.

"Your choice of alcoholic beverage."

"Oh, Ctarl Ale."

"Sorry Missy but alls we have is what was brewed or distilled on Her Majesty's Isle back in the 1960's."

"Her Majesty's?"

"That's right, Her Majesty, Elisabeth, Queen of England."

"Mmm, so what do you have?" Aisha asked.

"Might I recommend a pint of the pitters."

"Umm, okay."

He quickly grabbed a mug and poured the room temperature beer from tap and handed it to Aisha.

"And you Miss, what might you like?"

"Umm, I'll try one of those as well."

"Very well," he poured a second mug and handed it to Melfina.

"And you my diminutive sir."

"Did they have ginger ale back in the 1960's?"

"They most certainly did." He poured Jim a glass of ginger ale and ice.

"And you sir. What might be your poison? Wait one moment, let me guess, Scotch on the rocks, with a twist. I'm I correct?"

"All except the twist part."

"Very good sir. … Here you go. That will be 22 wong. Gene pulled out a wad of bills and handed the bartender 500 wong.

"That's to cover whatever else we drink tonight and whatever's left is your tip. Alright?"

"Yes sir, very good sir." The bartender placed the money in the register. "By the way, my name is Thomas. If you need anything, anything at all, just ask me." He smiled and waved as we proceeded to wait on other customers.

After downing his drink, Gene placed this glass on the bar and waited for a refill. It took Thomas only a few seconds to respond to Gene's unspoken request. While filling the outlaw's glass, he asked. "So is this how this club is all the time? Seems pretty dead."

"Oh, no sir, the band is just on its break. They should start back up any minute now."

"Band? I thought this club was dedicated to a band that made music back in the 1960's. Surely their not still alive?"  


"Oh no sir. You see this club is not just dedicated to the Beatles but for what they represented as well: live performances, real music, real rock and roll. So we bring in band imitators. Groups that share a love for the Beatles and their music, and help to preserve their memory by not just playing their music but by imitating their appearance and style."

"Umm, so is this band any good?"

"Most definitely sir. We've had our current band for about the past four months and they've been a great improvement over our last band."

"How so?" Jim asked.

"Well, you see, our last band was more interested in making it big on their own right. They just played here because it was steady money for them. And we kept them around because, well lets be honest, there aren't that many retro bands to begin with and certainly even fewer this far out in the frontier. This group we have now is actually made up of four local lads who grew up listening to the Beatles because of their parents. Being able to play the music of the Beatles as the Beatles is like a dream come true for them. And speaking of the band, here they are now."

"Hello Thomas, might we get a glass of lemonade before we start our next set?"

"Sure, but wouldn't you prefer to have four separate glasses?"

"Pudum bum."

"Ha, ha, you get us with that one every time."

"Say lads, we got some first-timers here. They've never even heard of the Beatles before."

"Is that right. Well I suppose introductions are in order. I'm John, this here's Paul and George, and the short funny looking one introducing himself to your lady friends there is Ringo."

"Hi, I'm Gene." He shook hands with the three.

"Please to make your acquaintance." Paul said.

"Same here," added George.

"So what might your names be?" Asked Ringo.

"My name is Melfina."

"And I'm Aisha." They shook his hand.

"Ah, Melfina and Aisha, two lovely names for two lovely ladies."

Melfina blushed. Aisha giggled. "Your silly."

"So what brings you to Cielo Rojo?" Ringo asked.

Not ignoring his flirtatious advances, Gene answered. "Melfina is the navigator aboard our ship. And my girlfriend," placing a possessive hand gently on her shoulder.

"Oh, I see." Ringo took a good look at the intimidating looking outlaw, then he leaned in a little closer to Melfina as if to whisper something but spoke loud enough to be heard by his band mates and the crew.

"Well, if you ever get tired of dating the tall, dark and handsome type; you might want to try the short, pale and funny looking type instead," taking that moment to straighten his tie.

Melfina raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. With that, John and George each grabbed Ringo by an arm. "Alright loverboy, time to play some music."

With that they dragged him toward the stage.

"Well it was nice to meet all of you. I hope you enjoy the show." Paul nodded and followed after the rest of the band.

"That was, weird." Gene said, letting his hand drop away from Melfina's shoulder. The change in his posture didn't go unnoticed by Melfina. Her body instantly missed Gene's warm gentle touch. And she noticed how Gene had thrown out his chest and straightened his posture, making himself appear even taller than he already was, when he addressed Ringo. Now he was slouching, leaning back against the bar.

__

'So am I your girlfriend when it's convenient for you Gene? When you want to keep other prospective suitors away?' She mused as she saw him scanning the room, his eyes occasionally stopping to get a better look at the pretty women in the club_. 'When it doesn't cramp your style as a lady's man.'_ She wanted to ask Gene these things but

she decided that now was not the time nor the place. _'He just finished taking on almost 200 wanted criminals; he's a hero in this town. The last thing he needs now is a neurotic girlfriend accusing him of cheating on her when he's standing right next to her.'_

She took another drink and turned her attention to the stage waiting for the music to start.

'' Good evening all, we're glad you could join us tonight, especially our honored guest, the outlaws that cleaned up our planet. Let's hear a round of applause for the crew of the Outlaw Star.'' Warm and friendly applause broke out throughout the club.

''And I thought they didn't recognize us.'' Gene told Mel.

''Not possible after this afternoon's celebration. The whole planet knows about Gene Starwind, Aisha Clan Clan and the crew of the Outlaw Star.'' Thomas said from behind them.

''This song is dedicated by our drummer, Ringo, to two very lovely ladies, Melfina and Aisha. A one, two A one two three.''

''Laa

If there's anything that you want,

If there's anything I could do,

Just call on me

And I'll send it along,

With Love 

From me to you.

I got every thing that you want,

Like a heart that's oh so true

Just call on me 

And I'll send it along

With Love 

From me to you,''

Melfina turned to Gene, ''Gene do you want to dance?''

Gene smiled. ''Not right now.'' He took another drink.

''Oh, okay.'' Melfina bowed her head slightly. 

Angered by Gene's earlier possessiveness of Melfina and now his apparent neglect of her, Jim turned to Melfina, ''Hey Mel wanna dance.''

''Sure.'' She brightened up. They grabbed each other's hand and made their way to the dance floor.

''Hey, wait for me!'' Aisha set her mug on the bar and chased after them.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the shortness of the chapter but this is the only way I can make time to edit it. Chapter 4 is pretty light. Lots of silliness with a few moments of angst thrown in. 

Hope you like it. If you do, let me know. If you don't, let me know that too, and why. That way I can try and make it better. 

A. Amishi


	10. Chapter 4: Part 3

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 4: Part 3

Gene took another drink while watching Mel and Jim dancing. _'So that's what they called dancing in the 20th century, weird.'_

''Do you find this as hard to bear as I do?'' A soft feminine voice said next to him. 

Gene looked to see a tall, leggy blonde leaning on the bar next to him. ''Probably even more so.'' He replied while taking another sip.

''Let me guess, friend of yours thought it would be fun coming to a club like this.''

''Something like that.'' He took another drink.

''Hi, my name is Mindy.'' She extended her hand. Gene stood up straight, taking her hand into his. ''Hi Mindy my name's…"

"Everyone on this planet, let alone this town, knows your name, Gene Starwind. You're the outlaw that took on over 20,000 criminals and won."

"Well I had a lot of help."

"Don't be modest. You're a hero in this town, on this planet."

"There isn't a single woman in this town that wouldn't give everything they have just too be with you right now." She whispered seductively. Gene found he had to lean toward her to hear what she was saying. In doing so he got a good whiff of her perfume and an eye full of cleavage. This didn't go unnoticed by Mindy who smiled up at him; Gene returned the smile. But Mindy wasn't the only one to notice. From the dance floor Melfina could see Gene talking to some blonde. 

__

'Even when I'm around Gene? Even when I'm around?' Sadness crossed her face. 

"This music's really pretty good, don't you think Mel?" Jim asked unaware of what Melfina just saw.

"Yeah, I like it too," Melfina painted on a smile and kept on dancing.

"I'll tell you something,

I think you'll understand,

When I say that something,

I want to hold your hand,

I wanna hold your ha-an-and,

I wanna hold your hand."

"What kind of dancing is that?" Aisha asked out loud. Seeing most every one on the dance floor change how they were dancing when the song changed.

"Its called Go-Go dancing." Replied a tall dark haired guy dressed very similarly as the band, "it goes like this." He hopped from one foot to the other in beat with the music and waved his arm in front of him except when the band clapped, then he clapped as well. "Get it?"

"Got it!" Aisha began imitating him perfectly. "See Jim, Melfina," Aisha showed them. They had been paying attention when the guy was showing Aisha so they had the idea already but they weren't nearly as fluid and smooth as Aisha was.

"This is fun!" Aisha exclaimed.

Jim and Melfina agreed but out of the corner of her eye Melfina saw Gene heading up a flight of stairs. Along the second floor balcony she could see doors with numbers on them, _'Bed rooms, just like the ones at the clubs back home that Gene likes to go to.' _ Melfina wanted to break down and cry, she wanted to run back to the ship and lock herself in her room and never come out. But she did her very best to keep it all in. _'It wouldn't be fair to Jim and Aisha,'_ she looked at both of them. _'Their having such a good time. I don't want to spoil it for them.'_ So she forced a smile on her face and kept on dancing.

In room 2D, the music could still be heard clear as day through the paper-thin walls. Gene and Mindy were into some heavy kissing. Gene's tongue exploring every inch of Mindy's mouth. He had her dress half off and was pinching one nipple with one hand while forcing her dress passed her ass with the other. For her part Mindy had pulled his shirt up revealing Gene's chiseled abs and broad chest. Not wanting his hands to leave her body she gave up on the shirt and started undoing his pants.

Gene skillfully pulled off Mindy's dress and panties all at once; she scooted up on the bed and lied flat on her back, spreading her legs invitingly. "Get undressed and fuck my brains out." She said through hooded eyes while licking her index finger using it as a phallic symbol.

Gene smiled down at her and pulled his shirt off, he started undoing his pants when the band started playing a different song.

She loves you, - yea, yea, yea

She loves you, - yea, yea, yea

You think you lost your love,

Well I saw her yesterday-ay,

It's you she's thinking of,

And she told me what to say-ay,

She said she loves you, 

And you know you should be glad, woow

She loves you - yea, yea, yea

She loves you - yea, yea, yea

With a love like that, 

You know you should be glad, 

With a love like that, 

You know you should be glad…

Listening to the lyrics of the song for the first time, Gene hung his head.

'What am I doing?' He asked himself ' Well it's not too late,' he concluded.

He quickly redid his pants and grabbed his shirt, slipping it back on.

"Gene, what are you doing?" Mindy asked, sitting upright, surprised by Gene's actions.

"I'm sorry Mindy. If this had been another time, another place perhaps but I have someone downstairs who loves me and I think I love her too. I can't blow this, not this time. You're a really hot babe. Maybe in another life." With that Gene walked out the door.

"Gene Starwind!" Mindy screamed, her face flush. "Arrrrrr!!!" She threw herself back onto the bed, banging her arms and legs against it.

Melfina's back was to the stairway so she didn't see Gene come up behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Auu!" She turned around startled but quickly recovered.

"Gene!" She smiled, realizing that there wasn't enough time between when she saw him head up the stairs till now for him to have done much of anything.

"Jim," he looked over her shoulder, to his partner. "mind if I cut in?"

"Not at all Gene." Jim turned toward Aisha who was sort of dancing with a tall dark-haired guy.

"Aisha, wanna dance?" Jim asked 

"Sure," Aisha turned toward Jim and continued dancing. Gene placed his arms around Melfina; dancing at a much slower pace while, "He Loves You" was still playing.

"I thought you didn't want to dance?" Melfina stated 

"I was just waiting for the right song." Gene smiled 

"What happened to your blonde friend?" Melfina asked with a serious expression on her face.

"Oh, you saw that?" Gene responded with surprise in his voice. "Sorry about that."

"Sorry you went upstairs or sorry that I saw you go upstairs?" She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Gene paused for a moment. "Both, I'm sorry I even thought of going upstairs with anybody but you and I'm sorry you had to see me go upstairs with someone else. I can only imagine how it made you feel."

"I was upset, but I didn't want to ruin the evening for Jim and Aisha." She replied with a weak smile.

Gene smiled and shook his head. "That's what's so amazing about you Melfina, you always put other peoples feelings before your own. I don't think I've ever met a more selfless person. You really are amazing." Gene stroked her cheek gently. Melfina blushed and stared down at his chest unable to handle the power of Gene's gaze.

The song finally ended and another started up. "Come on Gene dance. Like this," she should him how to go-go dance.

Gene raised an eyebrow and looked at Melfina as if she had lost her mind, but gradually a smile crossed his face as he saw how happy she looked. "Oh, what the hell." And he joined in.

* * * * * *

"Thank you, thank you ladies and gentlemen. Now don't go away. We're just taking a short brake and we'll be right back." John said removing his guitar strap. The other three members of the band came up to him. They spoke briefly then Paul jumped off stage and headed toward the bar.

Gene, Melfina, Jim and Aisha were already at the bar enjoying a drink and a laugh.

"And you two didn't want to come in here," teased Melfina. 

"Who knew something so old could be so much fun," responded Aisha.

"So how are you enjoying the show so far?" Paul asked as he came up in front of them.

"It's wonderful! You guys are really good." Melfina responded.

"Yeah, I haven't had this much fun, well in a while." Aisha added.

"Yeah!" threw in Jim. 

Paul nodded his head obviously pleased by their reaction. "And what about you Gene? Have you been enjoying the show as well?" 

"Well, I've got to say it's a lot better than I thought it would be. Yeah I'd say I'm enjoying it," Gene gave Paul the thumbs up.

"That's what we like to hare." Paul smiled. "Aisha, do you have a moment?" 

"Ugh?"

"The Lads and I would like to ask a favor."

"Ugh, sure, what is it?" She set her drink down.

"Well, would come this way please, so we can talk?"

"Okay, see you guys in a few minutes."

Watching Aisha and Paul walk off to a room next to the stage, Jim inquired, "What do you suppose they want with Aisha?" Gene just shrugged.

"Maybe they what her to dance on stage with them," Melfina speculated.

"You think so?" Jim replied.

"Sure, she's a natural dancer. And the way she moves, very seductive. Don't you think so Gene." Melfina asked.

Gene's eyes shot up from under his drink.

"I wouldn't know Melfina, I was too busy watching your sexy moves." He gave her a crooked smile. Mel gave Gene back a half grin that said, _"Yeah! Sure!"_ without needing a word. Gene leaned over and kissed Mel on the cheek. Her smile changed from one of suspicion to one of genuine affection.

~~~~~~~~

AN: Plenty more fun at the club to come. Be sure to enjoy the brevity now. Things will get much more serious later.

By the way, thank you for your comments and reviews. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was even reading this story. Thanks for letting me know that it is being read and enjoyed.

A. Amishi


	11. Chapter 4: Part 4

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 4: Part 4

A few minutes later Aisha and the band came out of the room next to the stage, and as Melfina suggested; Aisha took the stage with the band.

"Wow, no way, Aisha can't sing. She can barely talk without being annoying." A shocked Gene proclaimed. Jim gave Gene a cross look that went unnoticed by the redheaded outlaw then he joined Mel in applauding the band and their friend. 

"Let's get closer to the stage." Melfina suggested. 

"Great idea," Jim responded. Before Gene could protest, he took Melfina's hand and quickly led her toward the stage. Her young friend dragged Melfina across the dance-floor before she knew what happened. She looked back at Gene who was still standing at the bar. Their eyes locked and he sighed and started making his way through the crowd as well.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Beatles Retro Club. We are the Beatles, I'm John." 

"I'm Paul."

"I'm George."

"That must mean I'm Ringo."

"And this lovely lady here," John gestured to the left of the band, "Is Aisha who will be assisting us during this set. We hope you enjoy it."

"A one, two, a one, two, three, four."

"Love love me do

You know I love you

I'll always be true

So plee-ee-eease, love me do

wo oh love me do

Love love me do

You know I love you

I'll always be true

So plee-ee-eease, love me do

wo oh love me do"

As Gene suspected Aisha didn't sing but was playing an instrument he over heard someone call a tambourine. While dancing on stage, Aisha would shake it or bang it against her other hand or against her hip. 

While Melfina and Jim seemed genuinely excited about seeing their friend on stage, Gene seemed generally disinterested. He knew that the band only asked her on stage to be eye candy for the crowd and by the look of the crowd's response, it was working. He'd seen other bands do the same thing, put a beautiful, sex woman on stage with them to help draw attention away from the bands shortcomings, and keep the crowd interested. He didn't quite understand why the Beatles Retro band needed to do this. From what he could tell they were doing fine on there own, even for a retro group. Looking up at her on stage Gene had to admit, Aisha was hot, especially the way she moved in rhythm with the music but knowing her the way he did, he didn't think of her that way, at least not any more. Gene turned his attention to Melfina drawing her gaze from the stage to him as they started dancing together.

Jim couldn't take his eyes off Aisha. _'She's incredible.'_ Moving with the music as well, Jim soon blocked out everything and everyone else that was around. In his mind, it was Aisha, himself and the music; at this time and place, nothing else existed. Every now and then Aisha would flash him a smile, which only served to convince his subconscious mind that Aisha was dancing for him and him alone.

"Damn, she's HOT!" One drunken said to his two companions.

Jim, who was standing next to them, cracked a grin. _'Damn right, Aisha's beautiful.'_

"I know, they say there's no such think as an ugly Ctarl Ctarl chic." His equally inebriated friend replied.

__

'But none can be as beautiful as Aisha.' Jim reasoned to himself.

"I've heard men have died from exhaustion while fucking those ctarl ctarl bitches." The third mumbled.

Jim's grin turned into a frown. _'What assholes.'_

Their comments didn't go unnoticed by Aisha either. She shot them a quick glare but recovered her jovial expression and continued dancing. Jim noticed it but by the way the three drunken friends were carrying on, he was pretty sure they didn't.

"She moves like a stripper I once knew on Riedell 3. Man, was she hot." 

"Hey, maybe it's her?"

"Yeah, maybe!"

"Well, lets find out." The first drunk said. "Hey Baby! Take it off!"

"Yeah, take it all off bitch!" The third said as all three began to laugh.

The boy genius' blood boiled, turning his face a dark crimson. The Ctarl Ctarl, who heard every word they said, was just about ready to leap off the stage and tear them apart. When Gene, who couldn't help but hear their comments as well; looked over at Aisha then down at Jim and reasoned with himself that he better do something before things go ugly. He excused himself from Melfina and headed over toward the three drunks.

__

'All right, I've got a gun and a grenade. I'll flash them both and force them to leave the club.' Jim told himself as he mustard up his courage. Just before he was about to turn around and face the three drunks, Gene walked past him. 

"Wha… ?"

"Hey fellas. Enjoying the show?" Gene asked, placing an arm over the shoulder of the two assholes flanking the one Gene was addressing with his eyes.

"Yeah, well we'd be enjoying it even more if you got your ugly mug out of our face." Replied the one in the middle.

"Yeah well, ya see, that's part of the problem. See that Ctarl Ctarl up there is a friend of mine, and see I can't have you going around saying nasty stuff to her or about her see, or what kind of friend would I be." Gene grinned.

"So what are you going to do about it, dickless!" Said the one in the middle as all three pulled out switchblades. The people around them stepped away. Gene's grin grew as he flashed them a wink.

"Ugh?" The three were momentarily taken aback by redhead's response.

That was all Gene needed. He instantly tightened his grip on the two jerks on either side of him and threw them into each other. Their faces collided and they each collapsed to the floor.

"Why you asshole!" The one in the middle lunged at the outlaw with his switchblade. Gene side stepped him, pivoted on his right foot and threw an elbow into the guy's face. The last jerk fell to the ground like a ton of bricks.

"My thoughts exactly." Gene said, looking down at the three unconscious assholes.

The small group of people around them applauded. Just then, three bouncers showed up. "Is there a problem here?" One asked.

Gene raised his hands to chest level and to his sides, showing them his palms. "No problem, not any more at least."

One of the women that were there spoke up. "These three drunks were being obnoxious. This brave guy just showed them the error of their ways."

Other people around them agreed.

"Okay, well, we'll take care of these three, and next time let us handle the assholes. Okay?" The bouncer addressed the outlaw directly.

Gene gave the guy the thumbs up; "You got it."

He stood around a little while longer as he watched the three bouncers, carry the three jerks away through a door behind the bar.

He turned around to head back to where Melfina was still standing. A quick glance around the club told him that the little incident went mostly unnoticed by the majority of the patrons and the band as well, but not by Aisha who shot Gene a crooked half smile and a cocked eyebrow. He returned her a mild grin and a two-finger salute.

Aisha shook her head and smiled widely.

Jim's gaze went from Aisha to Gene, who was just about to pass him by. Gene looked down and saw Jim staring up at him.

"Things got a little tense for a minute there, hey partner." Gene commented as he patted Jim on the shoulder as he walked past him and back to Melfina's side.

Jim frowned. _'I could have handled those assholes just as easily big shot.'_ The young outlaw looked back to Aisha to see if she was still looking over at Gene_. 'Would gratitude for what he just did for her cause Aisha to be drawn to him, just as so many other women would be?'_ Jim pondered. But to his delight, Aisha was dancing and playing her tambourine just like she was before the whole stupid incident occurred. Jim smiled to himself, _'Just like Aisha.'_ He mused.

Melfina stepped forward toward the approaching red-haired outlaw. "Gene, are you all right?" She asked, concern written all over her face.

Gene gently placed his hands on her arms, rubbing them gently.

"I'm fine Mel. That, that was nothing. Just a few drunks, getting a little out of hand, that's all." He assured her.

"Mmm hmm." Melfina nodded. "Do you still want to dance?"

"Lets get a drink first, then we'll keep dancing." He said.

"Okay." She responded, allowing him to guide her through the crowd with a gentle hand to the small of her back.

At the bar, Gene spotted only one vacant stool. Taking Melfina's hand, he walked over to it and sat down then turned to her and placing his hands on her waist, he pulled her onto his lap.

"Oh!" The bio-android was a little startled by Gene's maneuver at first but placed one hand around his waist for balance and smiled approvingly at him.

Gene smiled back then turned toward the approaching bartender.

"Hello Mr. Starwind, ready for a refill are we." The bartended said.

"You know it."

"Single malt scotch on the rocks, right." He pointed.

"That's right." Gene pointed back with a smile.

"And would the lady like another pint?" 

"No, it was kind of bitter. Do you have something else a bit more sweet?" She asked, trying to raise her voice to be heard over the music and the crowd.

"I have just the thing." The bartended said with a smile. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

A minute later he came back and handed Gene his scotch and Melfina a champagne cocktail.

"How is that Miss?" He gave her a raised eyebrow as he waited to see if it met with her approval.

"Mmm, nice, it tastes fruity." She smiled.

"I thought you'd like it." Thomas said with a smile.

Mmm, thank you." She replied with a smile.

"Not at all Miss. It's my job to know what my customers like." He said with a smile then went to wait on other customers.

Taking another drink, Melfina turned toward Gene as said, "Would you like a taste?"

Shaking his head, he replied. "No, I prefer this." He held up his glass of scotch. "But thanks anyway."

Just then the band began playing a new song. The rhythm and the lyrics immediately caught their attention.

"Ooooh I need your love babe,

Guess you know it's true

Hope you need my love babe,

Just like I need you !

Hold me, love me,

Hold me, love me,

I ain't got nothing but love girl,

Eight days a week !

Love you everyday girlMelfina shifted a little closer to Gene on his lap

Always on my mindLooking over at him out of the corner of her eye

One thing I can say girlShe smiled at him then took another drink

Love you all the time.

Hold me, love me,Gene tightened his hold on Melfina a bit. He took

Hold me, love me,Another drink then looked at her from top to bottom

I ain't got nothing but love girl,As he lowered his glass, admiring how very 

Eight days a week !Attractive she was in her outfit and wondering why

He ever even took the time to look at other women.

Eight days a week !

I love you

Eight days a week !

Is not enough to show I care !

Ooooh I need your love babe,

Guess you know it's true

Hope you need my love babe,

Just like I need you !

Melfina turned to face Gene and sang along with

Hold me, love me,band. "Hold me, love me, hold me, love me."

Hold me, love me,She set her glass down on the bar and placed her

I ain't got nothing but love girl,arms on either side of his neck as she drew close.

Eight days a week !

Eight days a week !

I love you

Eight days a week !

Is not enough to show I care !

Love you everyday girl

Always on my mind

One thing I can say girl

Love you all the time.

Setting his glass down as well, he wrapped his arms

Hold me, love me,around her waist and leaned in whispering. "Hold

Hold me, love me,me, love me, hold me, love me."

I ain't got nothing but love girl,

Eight days a week !Then they kissed, deeply, passionately. Melfina 

Eight days a week !explored the inside of Gene's mouth, savoring the

bitter, strong taste of the alcoholic drink he just had.

Pulling away just slightly, she whispered into his mouth. "Oh Gene, I want you. I want you so badly it hurts. Take me, take me to one of the rooms upstairs. Show me how much you care for me."

Gene ran his hands up and down Melfina's back, nodding his head in agreement. He slid her off his lap and took her petite, gentle hand into his as he guided her to the stairway. Retrieving a key from the bouncer at the base of the stairs, the two of them headed up.

Their departure up the stairs did not go unnoticed. Aisha spotted them out of the corner of her eye. _'Well, it's about damn time for those two.'_ She smiled wickedly and put a little extra into her hip movement.

Gene locked the door behind them and turned to find Melfina waiting to throw her arms around his neck and resume where they had left off. Gene began deftly undoing the long row of buttons down the front of her dress. Melfina pulled his shirt out from his pants and worked it up to his chest, caressing his abs and his back the whole way up. She broke their kiss and began nibbling on his neck. Gene mooned and tilted his head to provide her easier access. Gene opened his eyes momentarily and caught sight of the bed with Mindy laying on it. His eyes flew open wide in shock, this time he saw Sandy. A blink and he saw Stacy, another blink and yet another girl and then another. Gene placed his hands on Melfina's arms and gently pushed her away from him.

"Gene, what's wrong? Melfina asked, confusion written all over her face.

Gene looked down at Melfina and shook his head. "This isn't right Mel."

"What isn't right? Us?" Unshed tears immediately begin stinging her eyes.

"No, no, not us. This place. I… I've brought dozens of women to a place just like this. I don't want to treat you just like the other women I've had in my life." He explained.

"You don't?" A mixture of worry and hope showed on her face.

Gene shook his head again. "No Mel. You mean more to me than that. You're special Melfina."

"Really Gene? You really think of me as being special?" She gave him a faint smile.

Gene placed his hands on each side of her head and gently caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. "Very special Melfina." He smiled.

Melfina's smile widened as tears of joy trickled down her face.

Gene shook his head yet again, "Great, I made you cry again."

"It's okay Gene. This time I'm crying because I'm happy." Responded Melfina as she pressed her cheek to his chest and hugged him tightly.

Gene held her just as tightly, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

Realizing that the music had stopped, Gene lifted his head. "The set must be over."

Melfina loosened her hold and looked up at him. "We should probably get downstairs before Jim and Aisha started wondering where we went off to."

Gene nodded then he pulled his shirt back down and tucked it in. Melfina buttoned up her dress and ran her fingers through her hair. 

"Ready?" 

She nodded with a smile and they walked out the room and headed for the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. ^_^ Things get a little tense and then very silly in the next chapter. :P I'm sure you'll agree. 

OLS was the first anime I wrote ff for and it continues to be one of my favorite to write and read. Though I don't do much reading anymore. L Anyway, I hope the next chapter won't take as long to update. I'll try to have it out by next weekend. But only time will tell. 

A. Amishi


	12. Chapter 4: Part 5

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 4: Part 5

As Gene handed the bouncer back the key, the rather large dark-haired man commented, "Man, you go up there and back this fast again, I'm going to have to start calling you speedy." He snickered.

Gene just glared at the guy as he directed Melfina toward the bar with a gentle push to her lower back.

Reaching the bar, they spotted Jim and Aisha ordering another round of drinks. 

As they approached, Jim asked. "Hey guys, where'd you disappear to?" 

As Melfina blushed, Gene turned toward the bartender and ordered another drink. 

Aisha grinned widely an added. "Yeah Gene, where did you go?" 

Turning toward the Ctarl Ctarl, Gene replied, "It's a good thing the band didn't let you sing. With your voice, you would have emptied this place out in less then a minute."

Aisha's ire flared up in an instant. "Why you!" She snarled as she took a step toward the outlaw, her fists clinched and her fangs bared.

Jim quickly jumped in front of her, placing his hands on her waist to stop her forward progress. "Settle down Aisha. Gene was only teasing." He pleaded.

Thinking quickly, the catgirl grinned wickedly. _'Okay Gene Starwind, two can play at that game.'_ Turning her attention to Melfina, she said. "I guess Gene must have been a major disappointment in bed Melfina."

"WHAT!" Jim's eyes went wide, as did Melfina's. Her hands shot up over her mouth as her cheeks turned bright red. Jim stepped away from Aisha in shock as his gaze shifted from Melfina to Gene and back again.

"Next time, just me and you will go out and I'll find you a real man, not a ten second man like Gene here."

Gene slammed his drink down on the bar and snarled. "Why you!" This time it was his turn to clinch his fists and step toward Aisha. 

The Ctarl Ctarl was more than ready for a fight as she raised her guard and readied herself for action. Melfina immediately jumped in between the two of them, placing a hand on Gene's chest and her other hand on Aisha's chest as well, above her breasts, near her neck. "Settle down you two." She said, trying as hard as she could to sound forceful in her small timid voice but failing miserably.

"Yeah!" Jim added, finally recovering from the shock of the idea of Gene and Melfina having sex together. "The last thing you need to do is get yourselves thrown in jail for fighting." He reasoned.

After a few moments, Aisha backed down. "Fine. You're not worth my time anyway, Gene Starwind." Saying his name as if she were spitting out something foul from her mouth.

Gene pressed against Melfina who was still standing between them and Aisha raised her guard once again. Melfina pushed back against Gene. "Fine. If the two of you need to show off your strength then do it some other way. Arm wrestling or something." The brunette said as firmly as she could.

"Yeah! I saw an arm wrestling competition some months ago, before we came here." Jim said as his excitement level skyrocketed. He turned to the bartended. "Say can I borrow a couple towels?" 

Thomas looked somewhat confused but obliged the fair-haired young gentleman.

"Thanks." He replied, then he rushed over to Aisha and pushed her in the direction of a small vacant oval table. He pushed the chairs out of the way and folded one towel. Placing it near the center of the table but slightly on Aisha's side, he said. "Okay Aisha, set your elbow on top of the towel."

"Hmm?" Not sure what the boy genius had in mind since she missed seeing the tournament and had no idea what arm wrestling was.

"Just like this." Jim demonstrated, setting his elbow on the table and holding his forearm and hand perpendicular to it. 

Meanwhile, Melfina had taken hold of Gene's arm and was leading him over to the table as well. "Okay Gene, set your elbow down next to Aisha's so we can make sure your arms are of equal height." 

The outlaw obliged as well, and with fingers extended, his hand was still several centimeters higher than hers was. Jim folded the second towel and placed it under the catgirl's elbow to get the correct height.

"So, what's the objective of this anyway?" Gene asked. 

"The objective is to pin your opponents hand onto your side of the table without lifting your elbow off the table or place any other part of your body on the table." Melfina explained.

"If your elbow comes off the table or you put another part of your body goes on the table, you lose. If your hand slips out of your opponents hand, you lose and of course if your hand gets pinned, you lose." Jim elaborated

"So let me get this straight, all I have to do to win is force Gene's hand down onto the table, like this?" Aisha brought her hand down onto the table, palm down.

"Right." Melfina nodded.

"Too easy!" Aisha grinned. "Come on Gene, let me show you what real strength is."

"Alright catgirl, you're going down." Gene clasped her hand as he snarled at her. Aisha snarled right back.

Jim placed his hands over theirs. "Okay, when I let go of your hands then the match has started and you try to pin the other's hand as fast as you can. Okay?" He looked to Aisha first, and she nodded her understanding. Then he turned to Gene and he nodded as well. "Okay, Ready, Set, Go!" Jim lifted his hand instantly and almost as fast Aisha pulled Gene's arm down to the table's surface with a thud.

"I WIN!" Aisha raised her hands over the head in triumph.

"Hey, I wasn't ready!" Gene complained.

"What do you mean you weren't ready? Jim explained it simple enough. What are you, just stupid or something?" Aisha waved her nose at Gene while her hands were on her hips.

Gene snarled, "Let's do it again." He insisted.

"Okay, but if you want to take on Aisha, it's gonna cost ya." She gave him a wicked grin. 

"What do you mean?" Gene snapped.

Aisha pulled out a bill from a small hip pocket. "One hundred wong, if you win, it's yours. If I win, you give me a hundred wong."

Gene scrunched his face, giving Aisha an evil stare. "Fine!" He reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of bills and threw down a hundred-wong bill on the table.

"Okay." Aisha smiled.

They bent over the table again and clasped hands, their faces just centimeters apart. Jim placed his hands over theirs again.

"Okay, Ready, Set, Go!"

The result was the same.

"DAMN!" Gene slammed his hand down on the table.

"One more time." He insisted.

"You want another shot, put down another hundred." She grinned.

"Okay, so if I win, I get all three hundred, right?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"And when you lose, I keep all three hundred." She smiled.

Snarling again, Gene tossed down another hundred.

"Okay, I got it figured out now." He said with supreme confidence.

"Again, Jim placed his hands over theirs. "Okay, Ready, Set, GO!"

This time Gene got the initial advantage pulling Aisha's arm a quarter of the way down as he threw his shoulder behind his arm for extra leverage. Aisha's eyes grew large as saucers at the prospect of losing and she pulled with all her might, slamming Gene's hand to the table and sending the rest of the outlaw to the floor.

"Easiest two hundred wong I've made since being here." She smiled down at the redhead as she fanned herself with the three bills.

One of the big, broad-chested bouncers walked up to Aisha. "Excuse me ma'am." He said politely.

"Ugh, yes, ugh, can I help you?" The catgirl responded, hiding the bills behind her back, worried that she was going to be thrown out for gambling.

"Do I understand correctly. If I wager a hundred wong against you in arm wrestling and win, I get the total of your current winnings?" He asked.

"Ugh, yeah, sure." She responded uncertainly.

"Okay, here is a hundred wong. Let's get it on." He handed Aisha the bill and set his elbow on the table.

Four bouncers, three customers and a marshal's deputy later, Aisha had 12 hundred wong in her hand and showed no signs of slowing down. The band walked up to her each giving her 25 wong. She gave them a questioning stare. Then they each placed their elbows on the table right next to each other, placing their hands against each other as well. Aisha giggled and took their hands.

"Ready, Set, Go!"

All four of the lads ended up on the floor.

Through all of this, Melfina watched studiously. Observing Aisha and the way she prepared herself with each new challenger; the total concentration evident in her eyes, the way she focused on her opponent. After her earnings totaled 1700 wong, Melfina felt confident and approached Gene.

"Gene, can you lend me a hundred wong?" She asked with her palm out to receive the bill.

"Sure Melfina, what for?" He asked casually and he pulled out the wad of bills from his pocket.

"I'm going to beat Aisha." She said confidently.

The outlaw stopped from separating the bill from the wad of cash he had in his hand. "Melfina, are you sure about this? I mean, I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry Gene." She smiled innocently. "I have a fool proof plan. Come on over if you want to see how I'm going to do it." She pulled the bill out from the rest and walked over to Aisha. Gene's curiosity was peeked. He pocketed his cash and followed after his girlfriend.

Aisha had just finished dispatching her latest opponent and her total was now 1900 wong when Melfina walked up to the table and set her bill down. 

"Melfina? What do you think you're doing?" The Ctarl Ctarl gave her friend a questioning stare.

"Challenging you at arm wrestling Aisha." Melfina answered calmly, placing her elbow on the table.

Aisha shook her head. "Okay, if you really want to lose a hundred wong but understand, just because you're my friend doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you."

"Okay." Responded Melfina, giving Aisha an innocent smile.

Shaking her head again, the Ctarl Ctarl moved the towels out of the way, and leaned forward and clasped the bio-android's hand.

As before, the two opponents were just centimeters apart. As Jim placed his hands over theirs, Melfina leaned a little closer and Aisha copied her move. Now only a couple centimeters separated the two women.

"Ready…"

Melfina stared straight into Aisha's eyes, leaning forward just a little bit more.

"Set…"

Again Aisha duplicated her movements, bringing them within a breath of each other.

"Gooo…"

Melfina leaned forward again and pressed her lips against Aisha's, closing her eyes in the process. Aisha's eyes shot wide open as she jumped back. 

"Melfina! What are you doing?!" She screamed.

Melfina jumped up and down, her hands raised in the air over her head in victory. "I won! I won!"

"No you didn't!" Countered Aisha.

"I'm afraid she did Aisha." Replied Jim. "You lifted your elbow and broke your hold after I said go." He added.

"Bu-But she cheated! She kissed me!" The feline protested pointing at the ecstatic brunette who was still jumping up and down.

"Well, I don't know all the rules in competitive arm wrestling but I've never heard a rule that said you can't kiss your opponent."

Melfina calmed down enough to reach for the money on the table. Aisha slammed her hand down on it, preventing her friend from taking it. "I want a re-match." The catgirl glared at her friend.

"Sorry Aisha." Melfina responded coolie. "I'm officially retired from the sport." She smiled and gave her friend a wink.

This caused the catgirl to back away again, nervously.

The small crowd that had gathered to watch Aisha couldn't help but laugh at what it finally took to defeat the proud Ctarl Ctarl.

The band, after an extended break, had taken the stage again and Aisha saw this as her way out of an embarrassing situation. "Come on Jim." She grabbed his hand and dragged him along. "Let's dance." Jim went willingly. 

Melfina held the wad of bills to her face and giggled. Before she knew it, she was hoisted almost six feet into the air. Gene had grabbed her and lifted her up onto his shoulder. "To Melfina, the strongest person in the bar!" He screamed. Melfina laughed and the crowd cheered and laughed along, while Aisha fumed. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know this is something of a detour but it seemed fun when I wrote it. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ^_^

Please review this chapter and let me know how you like it so far. Still one more part to this chapter, then things start taking a very different turn.

A. Amishi


	13. Chapter4: Part 6

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 4: Part 6

"Okay folks, this being our last set for the night; we're going to slow it down a bit." Paul announced.

"Is there anybody going to listen to my story

All about the girl who came to stay?

She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,

Still you don't regret a single day.

Ah girl ! Girl ! Girl !

When I think of all the times I've tried to leave her,

She will turn to me and start to cry.

And she promises the earth to me and I believe her,

After all this time I don't know why.

Ah girl ! Girl ! Girl !

… "

"Umm," Jim stood in front of Aisha looking down at the floor with his hands at his sides.

"What's wrong Jim?" The Ctarl Ctarl looked down at her little friend. "Don't you want to dance?"

"Yeah!" He looked up at her, afraid she might give up on him and walk away.

"It's just," he looked left then right at the other people dancing. "I don't know how to dance like that." He said sheepishly.

"You don't know how to waltz?" Aisha grinned.

Jim lowered his head again and shook it from side to side.

Aisha put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Don't laugh! It's not like I ever took the time to take dancing lessons or anything." He frowned sadly.

"Don't worry Jim, you've got the best teacher in the galaxy right here in front of you." Aisha smiled, taking his one hand and placing it on the side of her waist then placing her hand on his shoulder. Then taking his other hand into hers, she said. "Okay, now just let the music move you and by applying a little bit of pressure at my waist, guide me in the direction you want me to go. Here, I'll start us off."

Aisha began by swaying to the music and Jim followed suit. Then she applied gentle pressure to his shoulder to draw him toward her, then used her other hand to guide him to his left. She repeated this several times, going back and forth, and side to side, all the time moving her body to the rhythm of the music. Jim did his best to keep up, watching Aisha's feet as they moved and trying to anticipate which direction she was going to move next.

"Jim, don't look at my feet, look into my eyes. When you're dancing with a lady, you want to give her your undivided attention. Let her feel special, like she's the only other person in the room." She told him.

"But how do I know if I'm moving right?" 

"Let the music guide you. Feel the rhythm and move with it."

"You make it sound so easy." The fair-haired boy said, embarrassed by his awkwardness.

"Well, I guess six years of ballet school and three years of academy dance training does give me an advantage." She smiled.

"Wait a minute, you had to take dance lessons as part of your academy training?" The young teen raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Mmm hmm, dancing was important. Officers are often required to attend balls and official parties where high ranking government and military officials would socialize on the dance floor. I… " Aisha hesitated, not sure if she wanted to recall a memory that was both a moment of pride and severe disappointment for her. Looking down at Jim, she decide, _'what can it hurt?'_ "You know, I once danced with the Emperor of the Ctarl Ctarl Empire."

"Really?" The boy's eyes grew large in amazement.

"Mmm hmm, at the Imperial Palace no less." She beamed with pride.

"What were you doing at the Imperial Palace Aisha?" He asked out of genuine curiosity.

"Umm…" _'Okay, know you've done it Aisha. You can't tell him about the Coalition, so make something up. Quick.' _She thought quickly then said, "Well, my father is a member of the High Command and so he brought me along to an official celebration the Emperor held for the High Command."

"Oh," Jim considered her response for a moment then asked, "Why didn't he take your mother?"

"She was sick at the time and couldn't go but she insisted that he go and take me along." She smiled.

"Jim smiled back sadly. "It must be nice?"

Aisha nodded before she realized she didn't know what Jim was referring to. "What must be nice?"

"Having a family that loves you, that cares about you."

"Yeah, it is nice." Aisha responded with a hint of melancholy in her voice. She noticed the song had changed to something even slower and a little sad. She pulled Jim closer to her until he found his face gently pressing between her ample bosom. He blushed and looked up to see if Aisha had noticed what she had done. She just smiled sadly at him and tenderly rested her cheek on his head as she slid her hand around his back to his opposite shoulder to hold him closer. Jim wrapped his arm around her waist and let his head, rest against her delicate mound. 

Relishing the moment, a tear rolled down Jim's cheek as he wished this moment would never end. Aisha blinked back tears of happier times, of things gone painfully wrong for her and of old friends greatly missed. Then she thought of Jim and she smiled. _'I'm so lucky to have a friend like you Jim.'_

Several songs later, Gene and Melfina joined Aisha and Jim on the dance floor. The catgirl and the boy genius had returned to the dance position they started with. Jim was getting the hang of leading. He had to admit that Aisha was true to her boast, she was an excellent teacher. He soon found himself gazing over at Gene and Melfina every so often. They were dancing a beat or two slower then the music, wrapped in each other's arms and lost in their own world. The young genius' expression of concern didn't escape the catgirl's watchful eye.

"What's wrong Jim?"

"Augh, nothing." Her dance partner responded, embarrassed for having been caught staring at his partner.

The Ctarl Ctarl raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, it's just… Gene and Melfina."

"Ugh?" She looked over at them. "What about them?"

"They seem so happy together."

"Mmm hmm." She acknowledged. "They do make a cute couple." She smiled.

"Yeah, it's just. Well, I know how Gene is and I can't help be afraid. I don't want to see Melfina get hurt." The young teen's concern for the bio-android was obvious.

Aisha smiled down at Jim again. "You're too good."

"Ugh?"

"Worrying about your friends even when you should be enjoying yourself." The catgirl clarified.

Jim smiled sheepishly.

"Anyway, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Gene's feelings for Mel seem genuine and besides, Mel is a lot tougher emotionally than you think. Even if Gene is just toying with her, I'm sure she can handle it herself." She reassured him.

Jim sighed. "I hope you're right."

"Thank you, thank you very much." John said as the applause died down. "This next song we'd like to dedicate to the special group of outlaws that helped rid our planet of the scum that made living in fear a common thing."

A cheer went up through out the club.

"To the crew of the Outlaw Star, I hope you enjoy this one. A one, two, a one two three."

"In the town where I was born

Lived a ma-a-an who sailed to sea

And he told us of his life

In the la-a-and of submarines

So we saaailed unto the sun

Till we fo-o-ound the sea of green

And we lived beneath the waves

In our yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine,

yellow submarine, yellow submarine.

We all live in a yellow submarine,

yellow submarine, yellow submarine.

And our friends are all on board

many more of them live next door

and the band begins to play.

We all live in a yellow submarine,

yellow submarine, yellow submarine.

We all live in a yellow submarine,

yellow submarine, yellow submarine.

.

.

.

"

Upon hearing the chorus, all four crewmembers broke out in mild laughter. Looking from one to the other, they couldn't help but smile. Standing near the center of the dance floor they swayed to the rhythm of the music and sang along with the chorus.

As the night came to a close the band announced they were about to play the final song for the night. Everyone other then the crew of the Outlaw Star separated from their partners and walked closer to the stage. Most everyone at the bar and tables also got up and approached the stage. The crew looked on with confusion as everyone around them took the hand of their neighbor. 

Just then the band began to play.

"When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the broken hearted people

Living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be.

For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,

There is still a light that shines on me

Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah

There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."

Melfina and Aisha smiled, taking the hand of their still confused partners, they walked up into the crowd. Then clasping each other's hand, they smiled at each other and began swaying to the music like everyone else was. Gene and Jim got the queue and even accepted the extended hands of the people around them.

Contemplating the words of the song, Gene realized how very childish his fight with Aisha was. He looked over at the Ctarl Ctarl, who was thoroughly enjoying the music. 

Sensing a pair of eyes on her, the catgirl glanced over to her side and saw Gene staring at her. She wrinkled her brow, not sure of his reason for staring. Then Gene smiled at her and she knew it was his way of calling a truce between them. She smiled back. At that moment Melfina glanced at Gene and saw he was looking passed her, she glanced over at Aisha and saw her smiling back. Aisha, noticing Melfina's gaze looked over at her, smiled and winked. Melfina smiled back. The catgirl went back to listening to the music. The bio-android looked back over to the redheaded outlaw who was now smiling down at her. She returned the gesture and rested her head on his shoulder for only a moment then she went back to enjoying the music as well and so did Gene.

On the drive back to the ship, the crew was overflowing with laughter and joy. Plenty of good liquor and plenty of good music had lifted their spirits higher than they had been in a long time as they sang in unison.

"We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine."

They paused as they tried to remember any part other than the chorus. After a moment, they laughed and began again.

"We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine."

Laughing as they sped back to the Outlaw Star.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, that's it… for chapter 4 that is. ^_^ Hope you've enjoyed the light-hearted nature of chapter 4 because things start taking a more serious turn in the following chapters. Both physical and emotional pain will follow. I hope you'll find it as interesting and enjoyable as I found it to write. ^_^

Thank you for your reviews and comments. I really enjoy receiving them. They are what motivate me to continue to work on this story. So the more reviews I receive, the more time I'll try to make for this story. Just see what I mean by taking a look at my Escaflowne story, "All you need is Love, Isn't it?"

A. Amishi


	14. Chapter 5: Part 1

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 5: Part 1

Aboard the ship, spirits were still high but toned down due to fatigue. With Melfina leaning against his arm with her eyes barely open, Gene stopped in front of his quarters and opened the door. Turning to Jim and Aisha, he said. "Well, goodnight. See you guys tomorrow morning." Gene knew full well that he wouldn't get up until sometime in the afternoon but saying see you in the morning sounded better. He guided Melfina into his room and closed the door.

Jim and Aisha continued down the hall. As they walked, they talked about what song they liked the best. Jim asked her how she felt dancing on stage, among other things. Before he knew it she had stopped in front of her quarters. Looking back down the hall, she giggled.

"You passed your own quarters Jim. Didn't you notice?" She asked.

"Ugh," Jim looked back down the hall as well. "Yeah, I guess I did, pass it I mean." He gave a big grin while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, goodnight Jim." She pressed the button to open the door and was about to step in when Jim spoke.

"Say Aisha…" She turned to look at the boy genius, her ears perked up in anticipation of a question or a favor being asked. "Umm… Aaah, thanks for teaching me how to dance. It was a lot of fun." He smiled sheepishly up to her.

Aisha grinned back, leaned forward and kissed Jim on the forehead. "You're welcome. Goodnight Jim." 

"G-goodnight Aisha." He replied, wide-eyed.

She stepped back into her room and closed the door, still staring at the fair-haired boy as it closed.

The boy sighed then headed back to his quarters.

The Ctarl Ctarl continued staring at the door a moment longer. "What are you thinking, silly girl. He's just a child." She shook her head and turned toward her bed as she began removing her clothes and humming the chorus to the Yellow Submarine over and over again.

Gene removed all of Melfina's clothes except her panties. He laid her in bed on her side, facing away from him. Then he removed his clothes except this shorts and lay down next to her. Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him, Melfina moaned her contentment. Gene smiled and kissed her gently on the back of her head. She moaned again and smiled as she unconsciously wrapped her arms over Gene's and drifted into a deep sleep. Happy with how the day had ended, the brash outlaw allowed himself to drift off to sleep as well.

Awakened by her crewmates' less than quiet entrance, Suzuka attempted to use her meditation techniques to dull the pain in her side and enable her to fall back to sleep. After a few minutes, she gave up, breathing heavily with her eyes barely open. "Damn." She said softly. "I've gotten too sloppy, too careless." She ran her fingers lightly over her wound. "This would never have happened before, not a year and a half ago."

She winced slightly as her fingers brushed the sore spot of her wound. "I'll have to double up on my training regiment. This won't happen again."

She began meditating again, trying a different technique this time. After about ten minutes, her features began to relax as her mind drifted away and the pain with it.

Jim lay face down on his bed and in his mind's eye he saw…

~~~

__

He was standing in a dark room where the only light present illuminated a single spot on a stage where Aisha stood. She was dancing, dancing just for him. She was wearing the same clothes she had on earlier only the skirt seemed a little bit shorter, the top seemed a little bit tighter and the heels of her shoes seemed a little bit higher. She moved slowly and seductively to the music; music he thought he recognized but couldn't quite place. Smiling, he thought, **'She's dancing just for me'** as the feline gyrated in front of him.

The fair-haired boy swayed to the rhythm of the music as he watched her dance, his eyes affixed on her body. Gradually, he became aware of a certain tightness developing in his pants. Not sure what it was he immediately looked down. He turned crimson instantly and placed his hands over his fly in an attempt to hide the cause of his embarrassment. He gradually raised his gaze up to the Ctarl Ctarl, desperately hoping she hadn't noticed his arousal. But from the smile on her face and the direction of her gaze, he was certain she knew. Growing redder with embarrassment, Jim hung his head low waiting to hear Aisha laughing at him. Instead, she leaped down from the stage, walked over to him and placed her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look up at her. Without saying a word, the Ctarl Ctarl kissed him full on the lips, gently at first but with more hunger and desire after just a few seconds. After getting over the initial shock, Jim joined in wholeheartedly. As their kiss deepened, he moaned with pleasure. Aisha giggled lightly as she broke the kiss and smiled at him. Jim simply stared back at her not sure what to do next. Gradually, Aisha allowed her hands to drift to behind Jim's head; she then slowly guided his face down onto her breasts. Jim breathed in deeply, taking in her scent, her aroma. The feline then began to stroke her thigh up and down between his legs. She then tilted his head to one side and lightly blow into his ear. Jim let out a near silent sigh of pleasure as he felt a sudden surge in his loins. 

~~~

Jim's eyes shot open instantly. He lifted himself onto his hands and knees. Not only could he feel the moistness in his pajama bottoms, he could see it there and on the bed sheet as well. Now Jim really did turn crimson. 

"How embarrassing." Jim moaned his displeasure with himself.

Sliding out of bed, he pulled off his pajamas and put on a fresh pair. Looking over at the bed, he decided to pull the sheets off as well. Gathering everything up, he opened the door to his room. Looking down one end of the corridor first then the other to ensure no one was around, he then proceeded to the laundry room, quietly closed the door behind him.

"We all live in a yello submmeen, yell submmee, ye s-sub…me" Aisha sang in her sleep with a faint smile on her face. Slowly the smile faded. "Mmm, mmm." And her eyes opened to a sliver. "Mtta, mtta, mtta." The cat girl rose from her bed with a groan. "Damned Terran liquor, goes through me like a waterfall."

She wrapped her sheet around her naked body, not really expected to run into anyone at this time of night but deciding that to err on the side of discretion was best. She exited her room and headed down to the lavatory. After taking care of business, she decided to get rid of the putrid taste in her mouth with some of the cactus juice stored in the refrigerator in the galley. Opening the refrigerator, she took out one of the liter bottles, opened it and drank it all down in six quick gulps.

"Aaah! That was good." She turned and carelessly tossed the empty container toward the dispensary. It hit the side of the dispensary door and fell to the ground. Aisha proceeded down the corridor in sleepwalking mode toward her quarters; completely unaware that the portion of her sheet that was covering her chest had slipped loose leaving her nipples partially exposed. While still a ways from her quarters, she approached a closed door that suddenly sprang open and Jim stepped out. Looking down the opposite end of the corridor first, Jim was unaware that the catgirl was practically standing behind him. 

"What are you doing up so late Jim?" Aisha muttered.

"Augh!" The boy jumped out of this skin as he quickly turned around and found himself staring at the feline's chest and her partially exposed nipples, then at her face, then down at her chest again, then her face once again. "A…A…Aisha, wh-what are you doing up?" Jim stammered out, his face as red as a tomato.

"Mmm, needed something to drink. All that alcohol left me thirsty. She glanced over at the door, drawn to it by the sounds coming from behind it. Then she recognized it. "You're doing laundry at this time of night?" She gave him a strange look.

"Ugh… yeah. I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd get caught up on my wash." Jim lied, grinning stupidly.

Leaning forward till they were nearly eye level, Aisha stared at the boy for a moment. His eyes kept darting from her eyes to her chest, which was now almost completely exposed to him with the feline leaning forward as she was, back and forth, back and forth. As the Ctarl Ctarl stared at him, his face grew a bright red as sweat began rolling down his forehead. His anxiety grew with each passing moment, as he became more and more certain that Aisha was going to comment on his wandering eyes.

Finally Aisha spoke. "Terrans are so weird." She commented then straightened up and continued down the corridor to her room.

Relieved by her comment, he watched her walk down the hall to her room. Just as she reached it and opened her door, the sheet finished coming undone and fell to Aisha's feet. Without a second thought Aisha bent over and picked up the sheet; entered her room, closed her door and fell right back to sleep.

"Aaah!" Jim's eyes went wide as large beads of sweat sprang up on his forehead from the bird's eye view he got of Aisha's bare backside and more. Desperately trying to control his breathing as sweat continued to roll down his face, he became aware of another part of his body that was extremely moist again. He looked down to see he had soiled his pajamas once again. "Ah Damn!" He turned and re-entered the laundry room once again, locking the door behind him.

Early mid-morning, Suzuka woke up, confident that everyone else would still be sleeping after their late night out, she proceeded to the lavatory with her personal Med. supplies in hand. She carefully removed the bandages and inspected the wound. "Good, two more treatments and no one will be able to tell." She said to herself.

In the galley, she once again prepared the salve and applied it while it was still hot. As she was boiling the water for her medicinal tea, she heard footsteps approach. She quickly placed the pot she used for the salve to wash and turned to face the person who was approaching.

"Oh, good morning Suzuka. Did you sleep well?" Melfina inquired, standing at the doorway in one of Gene's T-shirts.

"Quite well, thank you." The assassin replied.

Noticing Suzuka had a pot on the stove Melfina stepped toward the cooking area. "I'm sorry Suzuka. Please, let me do that."

"It is just water. Besides, aren't you still tired." The taller woman asked.

"No, not really. I only require about four hours of sleep a night." 

"I see."

"Would you like me to make you some breakfast?" The bio-android asked.

"I'm not quite hungry at the moment but why don't you go shower and change and by then I'm sure you'll have at least one other person to cook for." Suzuka casually suggested.

"Oh, okay." Melfina agreed. "Well, see you in a little bit then."

The Kimono clad assassin nodded politely.

Watching the ships navigator turn and head back down the corridor, she took out a small handful of herbs from her pouch and placed them in the boiling water; turning on the exhaust fan to dissipate the foul smell of the tea.

While Melfina was in the shower, Suzuka drank her medicinal tea, put the pot to wash, returned her Med. kit to her room and returned to the galley. Melfina returned moments later in a red dress and her usual black pumps. Her hair was still damp and her features looked fresh and clean from just being scrubbed.

"What would you like for breakfast Suzuka?" She asked as she entered the galley.

"Your vegetarian omelet would be nice with a side of rice and some strong coffee." Responded the assassin.

"Okay." The ship's cook replied cheerfully. She immediately set to work.

The initial odor of foul smelling herbs caused Aisha to toss and turn in her sleep. Not that anyone else could smell it with the Outlaw Star's air circulating system. But the Ctarl Ctarl's olfactory glands were more acute then most. Now the smell of food cooking served to wake her completely. Aisha arrived in the galley freshly showered and dressed with her customary smile on.

"Good morning you two. Mmm, something sure smiles good. Am I on time for breakfast?" She asked with a grin.

"Good morning Aisha." The bio-android responded cheerfully. "Right on time as always."

Having already served Suzuka, Melfina served up a hearty helping for Aisha and pulled something out of her hip pocket. Setting the plate down in front of the catgirl, Mel placed the object under the plate making sure to leave just enough of it exposed for the catgirl to see.

Aisha dug into her meal with the veracity her crewmates had grown accustomed to seeing from her. Not until she was halfway done with her meal did she notice that there was something sticking out from under her plate. Setting the fork down and lifting her plate she found a wad of cash.

"Wha?" She picked it up and quickly counted it. "Mel, what's this?" She asked, looking up at her crewmate.

"It's your winnings from last night, except for the 100 wong I borrowed from Gene." Mel replied sheepishly.

"But why? You beat me fair and square," confusion still written across the Ctarl Ctarl's face.

Suzuka looked up slightly from her meal, her eyebrow raised in a questioning manner but she held her tongue, not wanting to interfere in what was clearly none of her business.

"No, not really. You see; Jim missed the beginning of the arm wrestling competition but I didn't. I saw when they went over the rules and one of the rules was no physical contact between contestants except for their hands. I won by cheating."

"But why did you do it if you knew it was wrong?" A confused and slightly angry Aisha asked.

"Well," The ship's navigator and cook paused, "everyone was getting so into it that even the band had forgotten to go back on stage and Gene was so upset for losing to you so easily that I just wanted to cheer him up. I didn't mean to embarrass you Aisha. Really, I'm sorry." She lowered her head ashamed of her actions last night and the embarrassment it caused her friend.

Aisha smiled, "Aaah, that's okay. It was kinda funny now that I think about it." She laughed.

Looking up and seeing the smile on her friend's face, Mel chuckled slightly and agreed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Suzuka looked on form the corner of her eye as she drank her tea, not knowing what they were talking about and certain she would be better off that way.

Later that afternoon

---

"Okay Gene, I've stowed away the meat in the temporary meat lockers we purchased and secured the rest of our supplies. Jim informed his partner over the comm system.

"Great Jim, I'm almost done securing the cases of liquor and I've already run through the ships pre-flight check list so we should be ready to leave within the hour." The red-haired outlaw replied.

"Excuse me Gene." Gillium lowered himself down the storage compartment where Gene was. 

"Yeah, what is it now Gillium?" The outlaw moaned.

"It seems there are several gentlemen waiting outside the main hatch requesting to speak with you." The ship's computer replied coolie. 

"Friend or Foe?"

"Apparently friend, one of the gentlemen identified himself as the Regional Governor. My data banks indicate that this is the same gentleman whom Jim spoke with yesterday who identified himself as such."

"Really, well in that case I guess I should go say my farewells." Gene climbed the ladder out of the storage bay and proceeded to the main hatch.

As the hatch door opened, Gene could see Gillium was correct. He immediately recognized the marshal and the mayor of New Santa Fe, and though he wasn't a 100% sure, he thought he recognized the other men from the celebration yesterday, mayors all and the Regional Governor as well. They all took a few steps back, being startled to find a gun pointed at them.

Gene re-holstered his piece. "Sorry about that but you can't be too sure. What can I do for you gentlemen?" He asked as he stepped out onto the platform.

The governor spoke first. "Mr. Starwind, we've come to see if there was anything we could do to persuade you to stay a little while longer."

One of the mayors continued. "Though the criminals has been either captured or killed, once word of your departure reaches the outer regions a whole new crop of criminals will be invading our planet all over again."

"Well, we can't stay here forever." Gene informed them.

"Not forever, just two more months." The marshal said. He held out a letter for Gene to read. "My requests for additional support have finally been answered but it won't arrive for two more months. And two months is enough time for the planet to be turned back into the cesspool of crime it was before you arrived. That's why we're asking you to stay just two more months."

"You'd be compensated, of course." The mayor of Celtic City added.

"Well, we'd already made the decision to leave but I suppose I can round up my crew and … "

"No need, we're all here." Suzuka said.

Gene turned to find his crew standing behind him just inside the hatch door.

"So what sort of compensation are we talking about?" Asked Aisha.

"Five thousand wong a week for each of you." Answered the Governor.

"That is a tempting offer. Can you give us a minute to talk it over?" The outlaw replied.

"Of course." Replied the Governor.

Gene stepped back on board his ship and closed the hatch. "So what do you guys think?"

"I have no desire to stay here any longer. The chances of a major crime wave arriving here within the next two months are slim to none." Said Suzuka.

"So you think they're lying about needing our protections?" Asked Jim.

"No, I think they are considering a worst case scenario and in that case, 200,000 wong is a small price to pay for piece of mind. But I for one don't care to sit around doing nothing on the outside chance that some fugitives may decide to make this planet their home." The assassin answered.

"I agree with Suzuka." Said Jim. "We've been here long enough. I'm ready to go home."

"I feel the same way." Replied Gene. "What do you think Melfina?"

"I… I don't know. What ever you decide Gene." She said timidly.

"So it's settled then. We go…" Gene was cutoff suddenly.

"Hey! No one asked me!" Aisha yelled.

"Ugh, okay Aisha what do you think?" He asked impatiently.

"I think you guys are nuts! Five thousand wong each just to baby sit a planet. It's like free money! I say we stay." She said enthusiastically.

"Okay, raise your hands if you want to stay." Instructed Gene.

Aisha's hand shot straight up into the air.

"All right now, if you want to leave." Continued Gene.

Suzuka, Jim and Gene all raised their hands simultaneously. Looking from Gene to Jim, Melfina slowly raised her hand as well.

"Grrrr! Fine! I'll stay here and collect all the compensation myself!" The Ctarl Ctarl snapped.

"Are you sure about that Aisha?" Jim asked.

"Sure. It'll be like a two month paid vacation." She smiled.

"But how will you get back to Heifong?" The fair-haired boy asked.

"Hmm, I don't know but I'm going to find out." She pressed the button to open the hatch door and stepped out onto the platform. "All right, you're looking for a bodyguard for your planet? Well, I'm just the Ctarl Ctarl for the job. She boasted, placing her hands on her hips and thrusting her chest out in a show of strength.

"Ugh?" was the combined reaction of the planet's representative.

"What she means is, she's volunteered to stay behind and guard your planet for you for the next two months." The red-haired outlaw clarified.

"And the rest of you?" The mayor of New Santa Fe asked.

"We'll be leaving this afternoon but don't worry. Aisha is as fierce a Ctarl Ctarl as they come. She can handle the job." He added.

"That's right! So you have nothing to worry about." Interjected Aisha. "But if you want my services, it won't be cheap."

"Ugh?" The representative reacted again.

"Twenty-thousand wong per week, in advance." She demanded.

"Ugh?" Was the reaction from her crewmates.

"One minute please." The governor said as the group huddled together.

A few moments later the governor turned and said, "Twelve-thousand per week, half in advance and half at the end of the two months."

Aisha considered the offer for a minute then responded. "Fourteen-thousand, and you provide free room and board, and free transport for me back to Heifong at the end of the two months."

The group huddled together for another minute then the Governor turned again and exclaimed. "Deal!" As he extended his hand.

"Okay!" Aisha smiled and shook his hand firmly.

In Aisha's quarters

---

Jim sat on Aisha's bed as she filled a duffel bag with all of the belongings she had on the Outlaw Star.

"I can't believe you decided to stay." He finally said after several minutes of silence.

"Like I said before, it's like free money. Besides, this way I get to check out the other nightclubs on this rock." She gave her body a little shake, imitating the dancing they did last night, hoping to get a smile from Jim. Instead he just hung his head. She stopped what she was doing and walked over to him. Kneeling down in front of him she placed her hands on his. "Say, don't be so glum. I know you're going to miss me, I'm going to miss you too. But two months will pass before you know it and you'll be yelling at me not to call you a kid just like before." She reassured him with a smile. 

Jim couldn't help but smile back. "You be careful, okay. The governor and the marshal aren't willing to pay you fourteen thousand a week just so you can dance the nights away. It may not be as dangerous as it was with all the criminals running loose before but you still have to be cautious. Promise me you'll be careful."

Aisha smiled, "I'll be careful."

"Promise!"

"I promise." She smiled softly.

Knowing a Ctarl Ctarl was as good as their word; Jim relaxed and smiled back at Aisha.

"Come here." She said as she took him in her arms and hugged him tightly.

Standing at the hatch door with her duffel bag over her shoulder, Aisha said her good-byes.

"So I guess we'll see you in a couple of months then." Gene said, shaking her hand.

"Yea, a couple of months will pass in no time." She replied.

"I know. I guess I'll have to take advantage of the peace and quiet while it lasts." He teased.

"Very funny Gene." She glared at him.

"Things won't be the same without you." Suzuka said shaking Aisha's hand.

"Yea, I'm going to miss you too Suzu, but it's only two months."

Suzuka just gritted her teeth and remained silent.

"Good luck Aisha. I hope you don't run into to much trouble." Melfina said with quivering eyes and a shaky hand.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle whatever comes along. Isn't that right Jim?" She smiled at her young friend.

Jim gave a weak smile in return and nodded. "Right." He croaked out.

"Be sure to keep everything running smoothly while I'm gone, okay Jim. I'm counting on you." She gave the boy genius the thumbs up and he returned the gesture without saying a word.

With that, the Ctarl Ctarl pressed the button to open the hatch and walked down the plank to the elevator. Entering, she pressed the down button and gave a last wave to her friends. Each returned the gesture in their unique style.

Placing a reassuring hand on Jim's shoulder, Melfina asked. "Are you all right Jim?"

He shook his head to the negative. "But I will be in about two months." Turning to head toward the bridge, he said in a soft voice. "Come on guys, let's go home."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day." Retorted Gene as they all walked to the bridge.

~~~~~~

AN: Not things will start changing and this story will start to take on a new look. Hope you like what I have planned. I'd like to thank those who took the time to review my last chapter. I'm glad you liked it.

A. Amishi


	15. Chapter 5: Part 2

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 5, Part 2

Jim downed his second cup of coffee as he set the sensor relay circuitry module he had been working on aside and pulled open his laptop. Entering the folder labeled, Personal Journal, he opened the file with that day's date and began typing. 

**__**

'It's been almost a week since we left Cielo Rojo and we're still three days out of Sentinel 3. The ship's been unusually quiet without Aisha on board. I miss her. I wonder what she's doing right now.'

*****

"GRRR! AUGH!" The catgirl yelled as her seventh victim hit the ground. "Thank you very much and please feel free to come and try your luck again." She said with a smile. "Okay who's next?" And the next big burly guy came up to the table, laid a one hundred wong bill down on Aisha's ever growing pile of money, set his elbow down on the table and clasped her hand. One of the bouncers served as the referee, placing his hands over theirs. 

"Okay, Ready… Set… Go!" He yelled.

And Aisha's opponent hit the floor a heartbeat later.

*****

**__**

'Suzuka has been more reclusive than usual. About the only time we see her is at mealtimes. Sensing our curiosity once, she explained that she was in deep mental and physical training. Saying that the time we spent on that desert planet made her soft.' He typed while thinking,****'But I recently found out that there is more to it than that.'

*****

Upon approaching the door, Jim caught a glimpse of someone moving around in the engine room but only for an instant through the door's small round view window. Too short to see anything but the ceiling once he was next to the door, Jim searched around for something to stand on, choosing not to disturb whoever was inside but curious to see what they were doing. Emptying an engine parts case that was a few feet away, he set it next to the door and stood on it. Now he could plainly see Suzuka training with her sword, making precise and powerful strokes at an invisible opponent.

"Wow! She's amazing." Jim said aloud, never having seen the beautiful assassin train before. She appeared to be in total concentration and unaware of his presence. Captivated by the artistry of her sword work, Jim continued to watch her with fascination. It wasn't until the assassin lunged forward then made a rapid thrust to the right, twisting her torso did her concentration break. Grabbing her side, she collapsed to her knees in pain. Jim's first reaction was to jump down off the case and push it to the side so he could enter the engine room and assist her, but as his hand reached for the door handle, a thought occurred to him.

__

'Will she even want my help or would she be upset because I invaded her privacy? Suzuka is very independent and very private. But when did she injure herself? It must have been during the battle outside the ship, or maybe at the saloon. Either way, she didn't tell anyone about it then. She probably wants to keep it a secret still.' He reasoned.

Jim removed his hand from the handle and rapped on the heavy door instead. He waited a minute, then opened the door. Upon entering, he saw the assassin leaning against the wall wiping her brow with a towel, her sword propped up next to her.

"Oh, hi Suzuka. I didn't mean to disturb you. I can come back later." He said casually.

"That's alright Jim. I'm finished." She replied calmly.

"Oh, okay." He walked the rest of the way in and toward the engines.

"Is everything alright?" She inquired.

"Oh, yeah. Nothing serious, it's just engine three is running at only 93% efficiency and I like to keep it over 98%." He answered.

"Doesn't Gillium usually maintain the engines while we're in space?" She continued.

"Usually, but the door was closed." 

"Oh." Suzuka hesitated a moment. "I… apologize for that."

"Oh, it's no big deal." He opened a panel on the side of engine three, revealing a small monitor and keypad. Jim typed in some commands and waited for a response.

"Well, I'll leave you to your work." She said as she headed toward the door.

"Okay Suzuka, see you later." The young boy waved without looking up.

As she began to pass out the doorway, she turned around suddenly. "Oh Jim," She waited to make sure she had his attention.

"Yes Suzuka." He looked up at her.

"I would appreciate it if we could keep it our little secret." She said softly.

Startled by her comment, Jim tried to play dumb. "Wha… what do you mean?"

"I know you saw me collapse while I was training. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone, especially not Gene. I can count on you, can't I Jim?"

Jim gasped. Slowly nodding his head. "Your secret is safe with me Suzuka… b-but why do you feel you need to keep it a secret from us?"

Stepping back into the engine room and closing the door, the raven-haired woman explained. "As an assassin, I've made many enemies over the years. Many of them are just waiting for a time when I may be vulnerable. If they were to find out I was injured by such lowly criminals, dozens of top level assassins would be coming for me." 

"But you must have had 30 or 40 criminals with guns shooting at you." The young teen reasoned.

"One or one hundred, it doesn't matter. Spending all these months going after second rate criminals has dulled my skills. If one A-1 assassin were to challenge me right now, I would lose, badly. Of this I am sure." She looked at her bokutou with a hint of melancholy. 

"Do you really think Gene or Mel would tell anyone else?" Jim inquired, thinking, _'After all this time together, she still doesn't trust us.'_

"No, not really," She answered. "But I do have my pride."

He wasn't certain but Jim thought that he saw a hint of a smile appear on her face if only for an instant. Smiling himself, the young teen replied, "Your secret is safe with me Suzuka."

"Thank you Jim." She said as she exited the engine room and walked to her quarters.

"What an enigma." He pondered.

*****

Jim paused for a moment, shifting his vision from the monitor to the wall behind it. He scratched the back of his head then took another sip of coffee. Within minutes, he returned to typing in his journal.

**__**

'Gene has spent most of his time trying to find buyers for all the meat and liquor we are carrying. Normally, I'd be the one trying to do that but Gene said, "Sorry Jim but business dealings like these require a certain style." He went on to get rejected 142 times. It was then that I told him it was illegal to sell food or liquor on Heifong without a license. Gene took the news quite well.'

*****

"YOU JERK! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" The red-haired outlaw yelled.

*****

**__**

'With licensing fees over half-a-million wong, we decided it was best to sell our goods elsewhere. Gene managed to sell most of it to restaurants and bars on Sentinel 3 and the rest he sold to a hotel on the Toward Stars Inn space station. It means spending another week and a half in space to get to Heifong but at least we have sold all the merchandise before returning home. In addition, we'll be able to rent our old place for the 2 or 3 days it's going to take use to deliver the goods. I hope it's still the same. It will be nice to finally sleep in a real bed.'

*****

"I think I must take exception with that Jim." Gillium protested. "This ship was not designed for optimal comfort in mind. There really isn't anything I can do about that."

"Don't be angry Gillium. It's not your fault and usually I find the living quarters on the ship quite comfortable but after nine months of living on this ship, I could use a nice hot bath an a long night's sleep on a comfortable bed." He sighed happily then continued to type.

**__**

'Melfina has been in extra good spirits lately.' 

*****

"Good morning Jim. I made your favorite for breakfast, a three-egg cheese omelet with bacon on the side." She smiled.

"Thanks Mel. You didn't have to go to all that trouble." The young genius responded, still smiling down at his plate. 

"It was no trouble." She grinned happily.

*****

**__**

'I think the flowering relationship between her and Gene may be the reason for Mel's high spirits.'

*****

"Tell me again what our first date will be like when we get back to Heifong?" The bio-android asked, as they lay in Gene's bed, her head resting comfortably on his chest as she traced the scares on his abdomen with her fingers. 

Gene stopped stroking her hair only for a moment, smiling down at her. Continuing, he replied, "Well, first we'll start off with dinner at La Paris. We'll dine by candlelight and drink real imported wine from Earth."

Gene couldn't see her face but he knew she was smiling. "Then we'll go to the Club Calabrese and dance the night away. We'll end the evening with a walk through New Jefferson Park where we'll watch the living fountains perform to music."

Melfina lifted her head and moved up on the bed till she was face to face with him.

"Sounds wonderful." She smiled. "But I hope it doesn't end there." Kissing him gently on the lips.

Gene smiled back, "It's only getting started."

Mel lowered her head into the crook of his neck. "Gene, do you really feel it's necessary for us to wait to have sex? I'm more than willing to make love to you right now."

Gene stroked her hair again and smiled. "Nothing would make me feel better than to make love to you right now and if you were any other woman, I would, but you're not just any woman Melfina. You're special and I want our first time together to be special as well."

Mel slid her hands behind his shoulders and nuzzled him tightly, as they slowly drifting off to sleep together. 

**__**

*****

"Well, that's enough for today." Jim said, closing the file and shutting off his laptop. "Awww! Man, am I tired." He checked his watch. 

"Time to go to bed." He stood up and walked to his bed, collapsing onto it. He was asleep and snoring lightly within seconds. 

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I know things are a bit slow right now but trust me, it will be getting much more interesting very soon. ^_^ Sorry this chapter is so short but be assured the next one will be much longer and get ready for some serious angst. ^_~

Thank you for taking the time to ready my story and I ask that you take just a few moments to leave a review and let me know how you think I am doing. ^_^ I really do appreciate it. 

A. Amishi


	16. Chapter 6: Part 1

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 6

With their cargo delivered and cash in hand, the Outlaw Star began its decent to the surface of Heifong. Gene's landing was picture perfect. Though Gene and the Outlaw Star had spent most of the last 9 months sitting in space dock on Cielo Rojo, the 6 months in space prior to that really served to improve his skills as a pilot. As they disembarked the ship, the brash young outlaw received a communiqué from the port authorities requesting his presence.

"You guys head back to the shop. I'll catch up with you later." He said.

"But Gene… what about…" Melfina trailed off, casting her eyes downward, ashamed of her selfish thoughts.

"Don't worry Mel." Gene reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed it to her. "Go and buy yourself something special to wear tonight. I'll be home to pick you up by 7:00, okay?" Gene smiled.

Melfina smiled back. "Okay Gene, 7:00. I'll be ready."

At the port authority, Gene was simply informed of new policies installed during his absence, and the new port fees, which had gone up six percent.

"Jim, do you read me?" Gene radioed.

"Loud and clear Gene. What's up?" His partner replied as he drove home in the company of two lovely women.

"Make sure our account is brought up to date as soon as possible and pay the port costs for the next three months."

"Okay, will do. Anything else?" The young teen replied.

"Yeah, let me know how much of our debt with Fred we can pay after expenses and still have a comfortable cushion in our account. I want to pay him a visit before he starts looking for us, for a change."

"Okay, anything else?"

"No," The red-haired outlaw turned away from the port authority official and lowered his voice. "After Fred, I'm going to make a quick stop at a friend's to drop off some goods, but then I should be heading home."

"Okay, see you then." Jim signed off.

"Is there a problem, Jim?" Melfina asked.

"No problem. Gene just needs to run a few errands, but I'm sure they won't take him long at all." The boy genius smiled.

~~~

As they walked in the door, luggage in tow, the familiar air of Starwind and Hawking Enterprises headquarters filled their nostrils.

"Aaah! It's good to be home." Jim exclaimed as he collapsed on the sofa.

Suzuka immediately went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, while Melfina took her bags up to her room. Upon returning down to the main living area, she asked, "Jim, I need to go out and buy a dress for tonight. Could you come with me?"

"I'd like to Mel." Jim muttered into the sofa before he slowly sat himself up. "But I have to balance our account and pay some of our bills, then let Gene know how much we can pay Fred." He stood up and grabbed his bags. "Sorry." Then he headed up the stairs to deposit them in his room.

"That's all right." Mel said sadly.

"I guess…" She paused, looking in the direction of the kitchen. Uncertain whether she should even bother to ask. 

__

'Please don't ask. Please don't ask.' Suzuka chanted to herself as she poured the boiling water into the cup and stirred in the tealeaves.

"I guess I can go by myself." She turned toward the can they had intentionally left on the table almost a year ago. "Gilliam, can you provide me with a list of upscale women's clothing stores in the area?"

"Of course Melfina, it will only take a moment." The can came to life, eyes opened and arms extended.

Melfina retrieved a note pad and a pen, ready to write down the names and addresses.

"I have the information you requested. I have located five stores in the downtown area. The first is Salya's, located at the corner of Aeka and 16th Street. The second is Women's Perfection, located at 1367 west Lefin between Jackson and Kingston."

Suzuka closed her eyes and sighed. _'Oh hell.'_ She set her half consumed cup of tea down and stepped out of the kitchen. "Melfina, if I may interrupt."

"Yes Suzuka?" The bio-android responded, looking up wide-eyed from her note pad.

"Those are fine stores, but if you want to find something very special to wear on your date with Gene tonight, may I suggest traveling to the Heifong Space Station? All of Heifong's finest shops are up there."

"Oh, is that right? Thanks Suzuka." Melfina rose and walked over to the phone to check the departure time for the next public shuttle to the space station.

The beautiful assassin turned to head back into the kitchen when Melfina continued. "Suzuka, hmm… I was wondering…" She paused.

"Yes Melfina?" The assassin responded, doing her best not to express any emotion that might encourage or discourage the ship's navigator from asking what she wanted to ask.

"Hmm, I was just wondering if you might be willing to come shopping with me? I could really use another woman's opinion."

Suzuka hesitated for a moment. _'Why couldn't Aisha be here? She'd jump at this opportunity.'_ Looking over at Melfina, she saw a look of sadness begin to fill her countenance in anticipation of a negative responds. _'Oh, what the hell.'_

"I would be happy to accompany you Melfina but we must hurry." She pulled out her watch. "The next shuttle leaves in 13 minutes."

Melfina noticed Jim descending the stairs at that moment, so she turned toward him and said. "Jim, can you do us a favor?"

"Sure Mel, what is it you need?" The boy asked.

"Could you get us to the shuttle port in less then 13 minutes?" She asked.

"Hmm, sure, but what's the rush?" He enquired.

"That's when the next shuttle launches." She replied

"Well, in that case we better get going." He reached in his pocket and pulled out his keys as he headed for the door followed by the two dark-haired women.

Jim got them to the ticket office with four minutes to spare. Melfina quickly purchased tickets for the two of them and they boarded the ship. Within 35 minutes, the two women were walking down the garment district of the Heifong Space Station. 

~~~

Having paid the port costs for the next three months, Gene made his way to the offices of Fred Lou. He was desperately hoping that Fred was not in, in which case he would transfer the funds from his account to Fred's in the presence of Fred's accountant and then be on his way. Unfortunately for him, Fred was in and available.

"Gene! It's been so long!" Fred walked out from behind his desk and embraced his friend. "How have you been? It's been nearly a year since I saw you last. Where have you been this whole time? Come, sit, tell me all about your adventures." The arms dealer directed Gene to the sofa and sat a bit too close for Gene's comfort, but the outlaw restrained himself and recounted the past years adventures to Fred. Fred was so enthralled by his stories that he ordered in breakfast for the two of them and canceled his morning appointments.

"Then we returned home, everyone except for Aisha that is."

"Incredible, how you survived such harrowing experiences is beyond me. You truly are an outlaw, aren't you Gene? So what brings you here? Need more cash for repairs?" The merchant set his cup of coffee down on the table, ready to get down to business.

"No Fred, actually I've come to pay off my debt to you, well at least part of it, anyway." The outlaw smiled, picking up another bacon strip and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Really, that's fantastic. I knew you'd make it big someday Gene. I've always had the greatest confidence in you." Fred signaled to one of his bodyguards to come over. "So Gene, do you have your account number?" 

Gene pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Fred's goon. 

~~~

Both Melfina and Suzuka were showing signs of frustration and fatigue. They had spent four hours shopping in 6 different stores and had come up with nothing. The basic problem was finding something that didn't exaggerate Melfina's ample breasts but did accentuate her slim figure. While they did come across two or three outfits that Melfina thought were adequate, Suzuka, who was an unwilling participant at first, was now determined to make Melfina look her best and was not about to accept anything less.

"Where to now?" Melfina asked.

"This way. I've heard of a boutique that will customize while you wait." She said as she led the way down the street.

~~~

A thin man with black-rimmed glasses and an oversized suit handed Fred an electronic notepad.

"That's wonderful. You managed to pay off nearly half of your debt." The merchant said exuberantly. 

"Half? Jim told me it would be close to two-thirds." Gene grabbed the notepad out of his friend's hand.

"Well, it was, before interest." The merchant smiled.

"Interest?" The outlaw sighed.

"Of course, you didn't actually think you were getting an interest free loan, did you?" 

"Well, yeah, actually I did." Gene replied tossing the notepad back to Fred.

"Come on Gene, with the rate of inflation and as long as it's taken you to start paying off your debt, I'd be out hundreds of thousands of wong if I made the loan interest free." He handed the notepad back to his accountant who bowed then left the room.

Gene grudgingly acknowledged Fred's argument.

~~~

"Now that looks incredible on you." Raved the saleswoman as Melfina stepped out from the dressing room area.

"Do you really think so?" The bio-android inquired as she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror, first from the front, then her side, then her back, as much as she could see, finally her other side. She let the sequined shawl hang off her shoulders so she could admire the dress in its entirety along with the matching shoes.

"Most definitely, but don't take my word for it. Ask your friend." The clerk insisted.

"Well Suzuka, what do you think?" Melfina asked as she turned to face the beautiful assassin.

"I feel I must concur. I believe Gene will be beside himself with amazement. That dress truly enhances your natural beauty Melfina." Declared Suzuka.

Melfina smiled at herself in the mirror. "All right, I'll take the dress and the shoes."

"And the shawl as well?" Asked the clerk.

"Hmm, sure, why not." Nodded the bio-android with a smile.

She handed the shawl to the saleswoman, then went back into the dressing room and changed out of the dress and shoes.

While Melfina was paying for her new outfit, the clerk offered, "If I may be so bold; you may want to go to Georgio's on the sixth level."

"Georgio's? What's that?" Melfina asked.

"It's a beauty salon. You can get your nails and hair done and even a facial if you like. Normally you need to make an appointment at least a month in advance but I can call them for you. The manager there, Gregory, is a very good friend of mine." She smiled knowingly.

The navigator of the Outlaw Star turned to the kimono-clad woman with questioning eyes. She didn't have to ask; the assassin knew what the question was already. "Yes, please, tell him he'll be having two customers arriving shortly." Suzuka responded.

The saleswoman smiled. "Very good." Then she picked up the phone and called.

~~~

Gene left Fred's place and went home to pick up Jim's car. Walking in, he found Jim napping on the couch.

"Hey Jim, wake up already." He tapped his partner on the shoulder.

"Auugh, Gene, you're back. What's up?" The boy asked as he sat up and stretched at the same time.

"I need to borrow your car. I've got a delivery to make." He held out his hand for the keys.

Jim grumbled under his breath while fishing in his pocket for the keys. Handing them over to his partner, he said, "Now, be gentle with her. Remember, she's a classic."

"Yea, right." Gene responded sarcastically. "Oh, by the way, where are the girls?"

"They went shopping on the space station. They've been gone…" He glanced at his watch. "Almost five hours now."

"Good, I should have plenty of time to drop off the booze and get ready myself." The outlaw reasoned. "Did you say the space station? Are you sure about that?"

"I dropped them off at the shuttle port myself. Why?" Jim asked sleepily.

"That means Melfina's sparing no expense. I better rent a tux for the evening." He replied.

"A tux? That I've got to see." Jim smiled evilly.

"Well, got to go." Gene turned around and headed for the door.

"Hahahaha, Gene in a tux. I can't wait." Jim mused as he laid his head down and fell back to sleep.

~~~

After enjoying a deep tissue message, Melfina chose to have a sea salt scrub before having her hair styled, a facial, a manicure and pedicure. Suzuka chose a relaxing mud bath after her massage instead.

"I must say Miss Melfina, I'm pleasantly surprised." The stylist said.

"Oh, why is that Sofia?" The raven-haired young woman asked.

"To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought your hair was going to be wiry and uncontrollable, but I'm happy to say it is actually quite soft and manageable." The blue-haired stylist said.

"Well, thank you." Melfina smiled.

"Would you like more tea Miss?" The hostess asked.

"Yes please." Suzuka responded with her eyes still closed. "By the way, is my friend finished yet?"

"Friend?" The green-haired girl asked as she poured the tea.

"Yes, the young lady with the dark hair and deep dark eyes." The assassin replied.

"Oh, I'm not sure, but I'll go check." She stood back up. "I'll be right back."

Suzuka enjoyed another sip of tea as the hostess exited the mud bath room.

"There, so what do you think?" Sofia asked.

Melfina looked at the large wall mirror, examining her hair and her face. Sofia had smoothed and straightened her hair. Parting it off-center, she tucked the shorter side behind Melfina's ear while setting the longer half in a bob that partially concealed her eye. The effect was breathtaking. The stylist suggested minimal makeup, allowing Melfina's natural beauty to radiate through. 

The young woman in love smiled at her reflection, then looked down at her hands and feet and smiled even wider.

"Thank you Sofia, thank you all." She said to the stylist, manicurist, and pedicurist. "It's wonderful, simply wonderful."

The ladies smiled with contentment, knowing they had once again elevated beauty to an art form.

"Melfina, I don't believe there is a man in this universe that could resist your beauty." Suzuka's voice came from off to the side.

The bio-android caught her image in the mirror and turned to face her friend. "Do you really think so? Do you think Gene will like it?"

"Knowing Gene Starwind, he will be beside himself in amazement, overwhelmed by your beauty." Her friend replied.

"Thank you Suzuka." Melfina took one last look at herself in the mirror when she caught a glimpse of the clock on the opposite wall. "Oh my goodness, is it really that late?" Turning to her friend once more, she said, "We have to go."

~~~

Gene had stopped at a tuxedo rental shop before heading to his friend's nightclub. He got fitted for a tux and told the salesman he'd be back in a couple hours to pick it up. He then headed over to the blue light district of Heifong, to the Silver Star. The Silver Star nightclub featured exotic dancers and privacy suites that were rented by the quarter-hour, and Gene's friend Stan, the owner and manager of the club, was a former outlaw himself. He had made it big a few years back and used the fortune he made to open up the nightclub. Stan and Gene enjoyed exchanging war stories, drinking late into the night, and picking up the newest hot babes that made their way into his club. On more then one occasion, Stan had allowed Gene the use of a suite at no charge. Giving Stan two cases of tequila was Gene's way of saying thank you and farewell.

"I don't believe it!" Stan exclaimed.

"It's true." The red-haired outlaw assured him.

"Gene Starwind becoming a one-woman man. What is this universe coming to?" The former outlaw sighed.

Gene laughed. "It's not the end of the world. In fact, since I made this decision, I've been happier than ever."

"Well then, a drink to your happiness." Stan reached behind the bar for a pair of glasses and, pulling out one of the bottles of tequila from its case, held it up for Gene's approval.

But Gene put his hands up in front of him and replied, "You know what I like."

Stan smiled, opened the bottle and poured himself a drink. "Hey Frank, serve my friend here a single malt scotch, on the rocks."

The bartender came over with a bottle of scotch, added ice to the glass and poured the drink.

"You can leave the bottle, and take the rest of this" Stan pointed at the two cases, "to my office. Can't have this stuff lying around just in case we get a visit from any inspectors." He took a long slow drink and sighed with pleasure. "It's been a long time since I've had any of this stuff. It's even better than I remember it being." He poured himself some more and took another drink.

The Silver Star didn't open for business for another two hours so as long as he left by the time the club opened, Gene figured he still had plenty of time to pick up his tux, go home, shower and change. So he continued to drink while regaling his friend with stories of bravery and skill during his time at Cielo Rojo.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Sorry for the long delay. I actually had this chapter finished over a week ago but it still needed to be beta-read. The second part to this chapter will come much sooner, I promise. ^_^ First off let me thank my new beta-reader, Janice, for her wonderful enthusiasm and willingness to edit stories to anime that she hasn't even seen yet. On of my other beta-readers, Tex, does that too but he's been doing that for a long time now. 

And I'd like to thank you, my readers for sticking with this story. I promise the payoff will be well worth the wait. ^___^ Please let me know how you liked this the first part of chapter 6 by taking a few minutes to review it. I really appreciate all your reviews. I really do.

A. Amishi


	17. Chapter 6: Part 2

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 6: Part 2

"Hello! Anyone home?" Melfina called out as she and Suzuka walked in the door. 

Jim had showed and changed into some fresh clothes. Hearing the front door open, he exited his room, still drying his hair with a towel. Spotting Melfina, even from the opposite end of the building, Jim could clearly see the changes in her appearance.

"Wow! Melfina, you look incredible!" Jim shouted.

Melfina blushed. "Thank you Jim. You really think so?"

"Well, yea… you … you… whew!" Jim smiled and blushed as well, not sure how to verbalize his thoughts.

"If you think Melfina looks beautiful now, wait until she changes into her new dress." Suzuka interjected. "Shouldn't you get ready now, Melfina?" She asked, looking up at the clock on the wall.

"You're right." The bio-android started up the stairs to her room then stopped and turned toward the kimono-clad woman. "Thank you Suzuka, I really appreciate all your help."

"It was my pleasure Melfina. I thoroughly enjoyed our time together." Suzuka faintly smiled.

"So did I. Thanks again." Melfina smiled back then proceeded to her room.

Thirty minutes later, Melfina emerged from her bedroom wearing the dress she had purchased earlier that day. It was a black chiffon halter top with a plunging neckline and a bare back that came down to where her lower back ended, just before her buttocks began. Thin black straps crisscrossed her lower back pulling the body of the dress snuggly against her frame. The bottom of the dress had a diagonal cut to it with the front of the dress coming to her mid-thigh and the back of the dress going down to her mid-calf. The bottom 5 centimeters of the dress were covered with black sequins that sparkled with the light along with the sequin shawl she wore off the shoulder. She wore nine centimeter black strapped heels and small onyx earrings that matched a gold necklace with a midsize onyx stone that rested between her breasts. As she walked to the top of the stairs, she paused before coming down.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked with a smile.

Suzuka, who was sitting at the dining table looked up from her newspaper and smiled. "You look wonderful Melfina."

Jim, who was sitting on the sofa hunched over his laptop, looked up and nearly fell off. "You look incredible Mel! Simply incredible!" He stared.

"Thank you, thank you both." She blushed as she walked down the stairs and took a few steps toward the kitchen to see what time it was. It was already past the time when Melfina would have normally served dinner but still before the time most people who ate out began filling the restaurants. She turned and walked over to the larger of the two sofas in the living area. She ran her hands down the backside of her dress and sat carefully so as not to wrinkle it. A small crease on her forehead and the downward turn of her mouth told Jim all he needed to know.

"Don't worry Mel. I'm sure Gene will be showing up any minute now. He stopped by earlier, a couple hours before you guys got home and said he had one last delivery to make, then he was going to pick up a tux and come home." He informed her with a smile.

"A tux?" The bio-android was pleasantly surprised.

"Gene Starwind in a tuxedo. Now that would be worth the price of admission." The assassin reacted.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Jim responded with a grin then turned his attention back to Melfina. "So you see, he still remembered your date and was going all out for it. In fact, I bet he's on his way home right now."

"You think so?" The girl in love replied with a weak smile.

"I'm certain of it." The boy genius grinned widely, doing his best to reassure her.

~~~

"So then I pulled my knife, side stepped him and slit him from here to here." Gene pointed from his adam's apple to the back of his neck. "Then he croaked out, 'Bad form' before collapsing dead." He and Stan both busted up laughing. This drew some stares from the many customers that now filled the nightclub. While still laughing, Stan caught a glimpse of someone walking toward them from behind Gene. He grinned wickedly and said, "Say Gene, you remember that honey who wouldn't give you the time of day?"

"How could I forget? What a babe." The outlaw smirked.

"Well, I guess distance really does make the heart grow fonder, cause every time she came in here she asked about you. Been going on for about 6 months now." Stan said with a wink.

"Are you serious?" Gene asked wide-eyed.

His friend just nodded.

"Man, what I wouldn't give to score with that bitch." Gene blurted out.

"I give up, what?" A sultry voice came from behind.

Gene spun around and found himself face to face with the most incredible looking blonde he had ever seen.

"Tiffany, what a surprise to see you here." The outlaw smiled.

"I think that's my line stud." She smiled wickedly. "So, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?"

Realizing all the stools around the bar were occupied, Gene started to get up when he felt a hand slap him on the shoulder. "Well Gene, it's been fun catching up and all but I've got a club to run." Stan said. "See ya." He got up and left. Gene finished getting off his seat, offering it to Tiffany and sat back down on Stan's seat.

"Sure Stan, later." Gene replied, not taking his eyes off Tiffany for one second.

~~~

Well over an hour had past and still no sign of Gene. While Melfina sat patiently on the sofa, an air of tension filled the room. Finally, Jim could take no more of it.

"Gilliam, locate Captain Starwind and inform him that he needs to come home now." He snapped.

"Delay that order Gilliam." The ship's navigator said before the ship's computer could confirm Jim's order.

Jim gave her a confused look. "But why Mel? Gene should have been here almost an hour ago."

"And when he finally comes home I want it to be because he decided to, not because he was told to." She responded calmly.

Sensing the need for solitude on Melfina's part, Suzuka got up from the dining table and walked into the living area. "Jim, let's go get something to eat, It will be my treat."

"Huh?" Suzuka's offer took the boy by surprise. "Oh, yeah… sure." He finally replied, barely hiding his frustration. "Let me grab my jacket." He added as he ran up to his room.

"Thank you Suzuka." Melfina whispered.

"You're welcome." The assassin smiled.

"Okay, let's go." Jim said, returning with his jacket on. "Well Melfina, I hope…" He stopped himself, not sure what to say or how to say it.

Finally, Melfina spoke up. "Enjoy your dinner Jim." She smiled.

Jim just smiled back and followed Suzuka out the door.

The young woman stared at the door for several minutes, hoping Gene would still show up. Frustrated and disappointed, she closed her eyes and exhaled. "Where are you Gene?" She whispered to herself.

~~~

The salesman at the tuxedo rental shop looked at his watch for the 10th time in the past 20 minutes. It was already 30 minutes past his normal closing time and he was beyond impatient at this point.

"Oh, to hell with this." He double checked the lock on the front door, walked to the back of the store, shut off the lights and walked out the employee's access, heading home.

~~~

As they danced, Gene found it nearly impossible to keep his eyes off Tiffany's breasts. And from the expression on her face, he assumed she was enjoying the attention. 

"So Gene, do you like the view?" She finally asked.

He grinned then laughed lightly. "It's just, well I know I've been away for awhile and we really didn't spent much time together before then but…"

"Yes?"

"Well, I just don't remember your breasts being so, so…"

"So big?" She smiled.

"Yeah," He gave a sideways grin.

"I had them done while you were gone. Do you like them?" She leaned forward a bit while arching her back.

"Yes, definitely yes." Gene assured her. "But how real do they feel?"

She took his hand into hers and guided it to her chest. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Gene caressed her breast ever so gently; their eyes locked, their lips slowly moved closer and closer until they met in a long passionate kiss.

~~~

Neither Jim nor Suzuka were in a rush to get home. So after dinner they walked around downtown for a couple hours before heading back. They didn't expect to find anyone home and both were equally surprised to find Melfina still sitting on the sofa, just as they had left her three hours earlier. Melfina looked up towards them, hoping to see Gene walking in. When she saw it was Jim and Suzuka, an obvious look of disappointment crossed her face, though she maintained the smile she had on when she first looked up in their direction. 

Jim clenched and unclenched his fists, and the sudden increase in his respiration told Suzuka exactly how the boy genius was feeling. She laid a hand on his shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

"Oh, hi Jim, Suzuka. How was dinner?" The bio-android asked politely.

"Fine, it was fine." Replied the taller woman as they walked over to the sofas.

"That's good." 

Unable to retrain himself any longer, Jim slipped out from under Suzuka's gentle hold and rushed over to his friend's side.

"Melfina, please let me track that son of a bitch down. Let me kick his ass for you." He blurted out.

Melfina smiled and stroked his cheek. "No Jim, that won't be necessary."

"But it's not fair Mel; you don't deserve to be treated like this. It's not fair!" He cried, "It's not fair." Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Taking the boy in her arms, she rocked him gently and stroked his hair. "Shhh, it's all right Jim, it's all right." She reassured him.

"How can you say that Mel? It's not all right. It's wrong, it's just wrong."

She gently pushed Jim away just enough so they could see each other, face to face. She wiped away his tears with her hands and smiled at him. "No, what Gene has done is not all right, but I'm glad this happened now rather than five months from now. You and I both know Gene is a playboy. I was just naive enough to think he'd actually want to change for me. So you see, it's really for the best before I let myself become too emotionally attached." She smiled again.

"That's a very mature attitude Melfina." The other woman commented.

She looked over at the taller woman who was still standing a few steps away. "Thank you Suzuka." Turning her attention back to the boy in her arms, she continued. "So you see, everything really is all right."

Jim nodded and returned her smile. Looking down at her dress, he saw the tear stains he had left on the delicate fabric and whispered meekly. "I ruined your dress." 

Melfina looked down at herself and saw the stains. "Don't worry Jim; I'm sure I can get them out."

He looked back up at her, excitement evident in his eyes. "Do you still want to go out? We can go out and celebrate our safe and successful journey, just the three of us. What do you say Melfina?"

Melfina smiled down at him and shook her head. "No, but thank you. I just want to sit here. On the off chance that Gene does come home sometime soon, I need to talk to him and I don't want to put it off. I know what I need to say to him and I don't want to wait and possibly change my mind about this."

Taking her cue from the young lady's words, Suzuka commented, "Well, I for one am quite tired. I believe I will retire for the night. Goodnight Jim, goodnight Melfina."

"Goodnight Suzuka and thank you for dinner." Jim replied.

"You're welcome Jim."

"Goodnight Suzuka." Melfina replied.

Turning her attention to Jim, she said, "You should go to bed too. A growing young man like yourself needs his rest."

Jim smiled. "Okay, goodnight Melfina."

The young woman leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. "Goodnight Jim, and thank you for caring so much."

Jim blushed slightly and just smiled back at her. He got up from the sofa and headed up to his room.

Melfina watched him all the way up the stairs until he entered his room. She took a deep breath and looked down at the front of her dress. Seeing the stains left behind by Jim's tears, she sighed. "No returning this thing now." She straightened herself and stared off into space as she had before Jim and Suzuka arrived. _'Be strong Melfina.' _She told herself. _ 'Be strong.'_

~~~

Upon entering the privacy suite, Gene pulled off Tiffany's dress and made short work of her thong. Falling onto the bed, Tiffany straddled him and broke their kiss, just long enough to pull his shirt off over his head. Working quickly, she pulled off his pants and shorts together and slid down onto him in one swift motion.

"Aaau!" She moaned.

Gene laid a trail of wet kisses from her lips, down her neck and to her right breast. When he bit down on her nipple, she groaned again. He reached down with both hands, grabbed her ass and began thrusting her up and down upon him vigorously.

"Oh Gene! Gene!" She called out again and again.

Gene released her nipple and worked his lips up the canyon between her mounds, along her neck, over to her ear where he licked and gently blew into it. This drew another moan from the blond as she continued to call out his name. "Gene! Gene! Gene!…"

Quietly, he whispered a name back into her ear. After hearing the name for a third time, Tiffany stopped and rolled off him. Shocked by her actions, all Gene could do was stare at her with a look of total shock on his face.

"What?" He finally asked.

"Who the hell is Melfina?" A very angry blond asked.

"Melfina?" A puzzled look crossed his face. "Melfina… Melfina!" He jumped out of bed, clasping his hands to his head. "Oh my god!" Looking from left to right, he desperately tried to make sense out of his actions but came up empty. He turned around and stared at Tiffany, who had a puzzled look on her face now. "Oh my god!" He repeated. "What have I done? What have I done?" He screamed, bending over as if in pain and squeezing his eyes tightly shut in desperate hope that all this would disappear when he re-opened them. It didn't. Thinking clearly for the first time in hours, Gene started gathering up his clothes. "I gotta get out of here."

A shocked Tiffany jumped to her knees. "What?"

"I've got to go. I was supposed to be somewhere." He took a quick look at the clock over the door. "Oh my god, I was supposed to be there hours ago."

"You unbelievable bastard. Why I changed my mind about you, I'll never know."

Gene got dressed in record time and was just getting his shoes on when he turned to the blond. "God, I'm sorry Tiffany, really I am. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

"Yeah! Go to hell you bastard!" She screamed.

With that, Gene headed for the door. As he began to open it, he stopped and turned one last time, staring at Tiffany.

"What! WHAT!" She yelled.

"I'm really sorry." He said.

"GO! Get out! GET OUT!" She screamed before collapsing on the bed in tears.

Finally, Gene opened the door and walked out

Gene raced to the rental shop, hoping against hope that it was still open. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled, seeing it was already closed. "Damn it. I have no other choice." He said as he raced home.

~~~

Though the warehouse that Gene and Jim called home had no windows in the front of the building, the substandard construction allowed enough light to seep out at night, informing those outside that people were still up and about inside. As Gene parked in front of the building, no such indication was visible.

The red-haired outlaw climbed out of the car and paused for a moment. _'Did she get tired of waiting for me? Is she asleep? Did she go out for the night with Jim and Suzuka?' _Realizing that the answers to his questions would not be revealed to him while he stood outside, he reached for the doorknob. "Locked." He proceeded to unlock the door and opened it slowly, attempting to make as little noise as possible. The only light in the building was the faint stream of starlight that shown through the large window in the back of the building. He reached over, searching for the light switch. Flicking on the light, he instantly spotted a figure sitting on the sofa. Instinctively, he reached for his gun but he recognized who it was before the weapon left its holster. Gene breathed a sigh of relief before noticing the blank expression on Melfina's face.

"Hello Gene, good of you to come home." She said coolly. Standing up, she slowly walked toward him.

As she approached him, the outlaw got to see just how far Melfina had gone in preparing for their first date. Still in her evening dress and shoes she had purchased, and still wearing the makeup they had applied at Georgio's. 

Gene couldn't help but comment. "Melfina, you look incredible, absolutely beautiful." He paused. "I've never seen anyone look…"

"STOP!" She shouted.

Caught by surprise by her sudden outburst, the outlaw did just that. Uncomfortable silence hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity to Gene. Finally, he decided an explanation was in order. "Melfina, it's not what you think. Let me explain."

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened." She started. "From the look in your eyes and the smell of your breath, I'd say you got drunk on whiskey. From the smell of cheap perfume on your clothes, I'd say you met a girl. And from the lipstick on your mouth and down your neck, I'd say you ended up in a privacy suite with her. Am I close?"

Gene's hesitation told her all she needed to know. She closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to gather her strength to keep from crying. 

Seeing the pain he caused her, the outlaw tried to explain. "Melfina, I'm so sorry. I didn't plan for this to happen. More than anything in the world, I wanted to take you out tonight. I even rented a tux for the evening. I had our whole date planned out, honestly."

"Where is it?" She asked.

"What? Where is what?" The redhead responded in a state of confusion.

"The tuxedo. Where is the tuxedo?" She asked again in an even tone, not betraying her emotions.

"Aau, well ya see, I got fitted for it and paid and all but by the time I went back to pick it up the store was closed. He must have closed up early."

Melfina had heard enough. "STOP! You can't even tell the truth about something as simple as this." She snapped.

"What do you mean?" Gene replied defensively. "That was the truth."

"I got a call from the tuxedo salesman at 8:15." 

Gene pondered, _'How could he have called here?'_ When he remembered filling out an ID card with his address and phone number, he closed his eyes in self-loathing.

"He said you told him you'd pick it up at 7:00. He said the store closed at 8:00 and asked if I could contact you to tell you he'd wait 15 more minutes before he had to go." She recounted. "He didn't close early. You showed up late." Looking over at the clock in the kitchen, she continued. "You showed up four hours late."

With his head hung low, Gene confessed. "You're right. I was four hours late." He said in a low soft voice. "I went to the Silver Star to drop off the last two cases of tequila with my friend Stan and we started drinking. It was only 6:00 at the time so I figured a few drinks wouldn't hurt. His club doesn't open till 7:00 so as long as I left by the time they opened, I figured I'd be okay. But two drinks turned into four, four turned into eight and before I knew it the club was filled with customers and I felt right at home there."

Melfina was working hard to control her breathing, to control her disappointment.

"The girl, well she was someone whom I had tried to meet before but she had always shot me down. Now she was all over me and after all those drinks. I just wasn't thinking straight, I wasn't thinking at all. We talked for awhile, we danced and …" He squeezed his eyes shut hoping to chase away the image of what happened next. "We started to… we were in the middle of… but then I called out your name. I knew at that instant that what I was doing was wrong. I got up and got out of there. I raced home as fast as I could." Finally, he looked up at her, seeing she had been starting at him the whole time. "Melfina, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I swear, it will never happen again. I promise."

The beautiful young woman paused for a moment, considering her options. When she spoke, it was with an assuredness and resolve that the outlaw had never witnessed in the bio-android before.

"You're right Gene; you will never hurt me this way again. I won't give you that opportunity."

"Melfina, please."

"No Gene, no more. I've waited patiently for over a year for you to take me in your arms and tell me you cared about me, tell me you loved me. Tonight, I realized I was waiting on a dream. A dream that will never come true."

Gene reached out for her but she backed away just far enough to remain out of his reach. He lowered his hands and pleaded. "But I do care about you Melfina. Isn't what I went through at the Galactic Leyline proof enough for you?"

Melfina smiled. During her time alone sitting on the sofa, she ran every argument Gene might throw at her through her mind. This one was not unexpected. "Gene, I know you care about me, as a member of this crew, as the navigator of the Outlaw Star, even as a friend. But as a woman, as the woman you love?"

"I told you, you were special to me." He pleaded again.

"So special that you ended up in bed with another woman on our first day back to Heifong?" She replied rationally.

"I told you, I promise never to do this again." He continued.

"But you already promised, back on Cielo Rojo. You told me then that your playboy days were over. If you're going to break your promise on a day when we had something special planned together, what makes you believe you won't break it when we don't have anything planned, or after we've had a fight, or while I'm having my period?"

"But I mean it this time." He insisted.

"And what, you didn't mean it before?"

"I didn't mean that."

"Gene, it's all right. Don't beat yourself up over this. I'm not angry, really. I've just come to realize that you're not the kind of man I thought you could be, the kind of man I need." She smiled weakly.

"And what kind of man is that?" He straightened up, his defenses rising again.

"One who is passionate about life, passionate about the things that are important to him, passionate about me. Not someone who forgets I even exist after a few drinks."

Gene hung his head.

"Sorry Gene. That was low. Maybe I am a little angry after all. But the bottom line is the things I need in a man aren't the things you've shown me." She explained softly.

It took only a moment for the outlaw's defenses to rise up again. "I can't change who I am just because you want me to Melfina."

"Oh Gene, you still don't get it. I don't want you to change because you think that's what I want. I want you to be willing to change because that's what you want; because I'm important enough to you for you to want to change." She smiled at him once again then turned and headed toward the stairs. "Don't worry Gene, we'll still be friends. I'll still navigate the Outlaw Star. We just won't be anything more." She walked up the stairs then turned to him one last time. "Goodnight Gene." That said, she walked to her bedroom and closed the door.

"That's it. It's over before it ever really began." Gene whispered to himself. "The best thing ever to come into your life and you threw it away." Not knowing what to do but knowing he couldn't stay here, the young outlaw walked out the door, climbed into Jim's car and sped off into the night.

In her bedroom, Melfina cried for the first time that night. She stifled her sobs to keep from altering the others, but the tears flowed freely onto her pillow. She swore to herself never to cry in front of Gene Starwind ever again, but in the solitude of the night her tears would flow during the weeks and months to come.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I said I'd have the second part up much sooner and for once I was able to keep my promise. ^__^ I hope you enjoyed the unexpected turn of events. I couldn't make things go too smoothly for them, could I? But like I said in the description, this is a M/G romance so eventually things will turn around for them. It's just going to take some time. By the way, Aisha will be making a couple of appearances by way of reflections on the part of the other crewmembers. Some elements of my other OLS fic, "The Rise before the Fall" will be mentioned in them, mostly in the second Aisha account. While it's not essential to read it to know what's going on, it surely wouldn't hurt. 

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will take a minute to let me know by way of a review. I really do appreciate all your comments and criticisms as long as they are constructive. ^_^

Also, I want to take a moment to thank my new beta-reader, Janice. I really do appreciate all you do for me. ^_^

A. Amishi


	18. Chapter 7: Part 1

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Note: A reference is made to a character I created in my earlier OLS fanfiction, "The Rise before the Fall". To learn more about that character, read that story first.

Chapter 7, Part 1:

Melfina got out of bed at 5:00 in the morning and took a shower, washing off her makeup and shampooing her hair several times to get its natural look back. She got dressed and headed to the kitchen to get an early start on breakfast. She knew everyone else would probably sleep late, this being their first night back to Heifong, but it didn't matter to her. She had spent the entire night crying, finally falling asleep briefly around 4:30. But it only lasted for fifteen minutes. Lying in bed, her thoughts returned to Gene and her eyes began to well up with tears again. Needing something to do in order to get her mind off of the red-haired outlaw, she decided to get up and start her day. So making breakfast at 6am was more for her own sake rather than for the others.

After serving herself a portion, she placed the remaining amount on a large serving tray and placed it in the oven, setting the oven to WARM. She ate her breakfast quickly and washed her dishes. Leaving a note telling everyone that breakfast was waiting for them in the oven, she counted up the remainder of the cash Gene had given her yesterday and went to her room to get her jacket. 

As Melfina unlocked and opened the door, she was startled by the person standing on the other side of the door. Gene was equally startled.

"Gene!"

"Melfina?"

"Are you just getting in now?" She asked without a hint of accusation in her voice.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep so I went for a drive. I guess I lost track of time." He replied.

"Oh, I see. Well, breakfast is in the oven, if you're feeling hungry." She proceeded to walk past him.

"Ah, where are you going so early in the morning? If you don't mind me asking?" He asked hesitantly.

"Not at all. I'm just going to do a little shopping. I really need to buy some new outfits." She smiled softly.

"Well, would you like some company?" The outlaw looked down at his foot as he scraped it along the sidewalk, taking a moment to glance up to see her expression.

"No, thank you, but I'd really rather do this by myself." She continued to smile.

"Well, can I at least drive you to where you're going?" He persisted.

"Thanks Gene, but I really prefer to walk." She straightened up playfully, throwing her shoulders back and snapping her heels together, and tilted her head to the side.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll see you later then." The outlaw said solemnly.

"Yea, later." Melfina smiled once again then turned and walked away.

Gene stared after her for several minutes. _'Go to her.'_ His subconscious mind told him. _'Stop her and tell her how sorry, how very sorry you are for last night. Take her in your arms and tell her you love her and you want to take care of her for the rest of your natural born life. Do it!'_ He screamed to himself. Instead, he lowered his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Melfina was no longer in sight. He sighed meekly and walked inside.

Melfina walked down the street, her eyes focused straight ahead. _'You promised yourself. You're not going to cry in front of him.'_ She told herself, but her heart screamed to her to throw herself into Gene's strong arms and accept his earlier apology. Her head argued, _'No, I did the right thing, and I will not cry, I will not let him see me cry.'_ But when she turned the corner and was no longer in Gene's line of sight, she broke down once again, crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Somehow she managed to flag down a cab and got in.

"Where to Miss?" The cabbie asked.

"Just drive." She whimpered.

"Miss, you gotta give me a direction or something." He insisted.

"Downtown." She blurted without thinking.

"All right, downtown it is." The cabdriver set the meter and proceeded to take Melfina to downtown Heifong. Looking in his rearview mirror, his eyes confirmed what his ears were hearing. "Miss, are you alright?" He asked with genuine concern.

"No, no I'm not." She managed to whisper out. "But I will be soon enough." She wiped her eyes and slowly regained her composure.

**********

"Crew of the spaceship Cosmic Liar, you have a crewmember who has been positively identified as Laslo Krio, a wanted felon. The citizens of Cielo Rojo have no desire to have such a person residing on their planet, not even temporarily. Alter your coarse and leave Cielo Rojo space now."

The monitor at the spaceport control room lit up. "On whose authority do you presume to deny us the right to land?" Said a talk dark-haired man with a stubbly beard who was armed with at least four guns that were visible on the monitor. Four others could be seen in the background, each as ugly and nasty looking as the first.

"By the authority granted to me by the citizens of Cielo Rojo, so unless you want to deal with some serious Ctarl Ctarl trouble, I suggest you alter coarse now." Aisha commanded.

"Ctarl Ctarl, hey. Hahahaha." The captain laughed as he held up a chain that had six large feline ears hanging off it. "I eat Ctarl Ctarl for dinner. Hahahahaha. So try and stop me." He boasted, and the monitor went black.

"Grrrr, you son of a bitch!" She screamed. "Could you ID any of them?" She turned to the deputy that was standing behind her.

"One second." He waited for the computer beside him to display the information. "Yes, the one that was doing all the talking was definitely Laslo, the other four are all positively identified as members of his gang. All are wanted, dead or alive."

"Good, I'm going to take real pleasure in killing that bastard." The fiery feline growled.

"Are you sure you want to handle this alone, Miss Aisha? I mean, those were Ctarl Ctarl ears he had on that chain."

"All the more reason for me to take on that shit by myself. If he's strong enough to kill a Ctarl Ctarl, he'll make short work of you and your men. No, I'll take this guy on myself and believe me, the only other ear on that chain after today will be his own." The Ctarl Ctarl marched out the door.

Crouched on top of the elevator tower, Aisha waited for it to be moved into position. As the tower rolled out towards the docked ship, the plank extended out to the hatch. Aisha readied herself to pounce once the hatch door opened. Once the Ctarl Ctarl saw the door opened begin to open, she launched herself toward it. Landing on the platform three-quarters of the way to the door, she instantly sprang again, and reached the door just in time to be grabbed by a pair of giant mechanical hands. The creep inside the mechanical drone laughed at his good fortune, catching the catgirl by the left forearm and the right calf.

"Augh! Let go, you bastard!" She screamed.

"Hahahaha, sure thing sweetheart. Right after I tear you in two. Hahahaha!" The drone pilot laughed as he pulled Aisha in opposite directions.

"AUUGH!" She screamed in pain. For a moment the only thought in Aisha's mind was the intensity of the pain she was feeling, but that was only for a moment. Knowing she had to do something and quickly, the fierce catgirl reached with her free hand for the thumb of the hand that had her arm. With all her might, she pulled back on it. Sparks began to shoot from the hand as the thumb gave way, just a little at first but that was enough to make Aisha renew her effort until she held the mechanized digit loosely in her hand. Realizing that tearing off the thumb appeared to disable the right arm of the drone, Aisha managed to pull her forearm out of the grip of its remaining fingers only to find herself dangling upside down, bent over backwards at the knee.

The pilot desperately tried to regain control of the right arm with no success when he noticed Aisha was now upright and beginning to pry open the left hand. In a desperate attempt to keep the left arm from being disabled, he stepped forward onto the platform and threw Aisha across it.

The Ctarl Ctarl frantically reached out to grab the top of the elevator cage as she sailed over it. Grapping the edge of the elevator, her body slammed into the side.

"Aaaa!" She yelped. "That's going to leave a mark." She said as she pulled herself up and jumped down onto the catwalk again, having left the metal beams she crashed into badly dented.

The drone the criminal was piloting was simply a labor mech, used for moving large crates. It had no weapons or tools. It was something that was already on the ship when they hijacked it. And now that he only had one working hand, the pilot wasn't nearly so confident about his chances against the Ctarl Ctarl.

Aisha charged the drone, her whip drawn. The pilot turned to block her charge with his right arm. Though it was not functioning, it was still locked in an outward position. When she came within range, the feline snapped her whip at the big metal machine, striking it at the elbow. The blow tore off chunks of steel and left the forearm dangling unnaturally at the elbow. Another quick strike and the arm fell to the platform with a thud.

Desperate to regain the upper hand, the pilot charged at Aisha, its left arm clinched in a fist and pulled back, ready to deliver a blow. The catgirl snapped her metal whip and struck the drone on the right ankle. It buckled and toppled over, inches in front of her, striking the platform at the edge and rolling over the edge. Aisha could hear the screams of the pilot as it plummeted 50 meters to the ground below. Upon impact the drone exploded, sending bits of shrapnel in every direction.

"Hmm! Not so tough after all." Aisha said, then proceeded to run through the hatch. Looking in each direction, she proceeded down the corridor she assumed would lead her to the bridge.

Having made short work of the other three criminals, Aisha Clan Clan boarded the bridge to find Laslo Krio sitting in his captain's chair, his back to her.

"What took you so long?" He looked at his watch. "I expected you at least three minutes ago." He teased as he rose from his seat, obviously concealing something behind his back.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to DIE!" Aisha snapped back as she lunged at him.

Anticipating her attack, Laslo pulled out a high-energy stun gun from behind his back and fired it at her. The high voltage electricity that went coursing through her sent pain messages from every part of Aisha's body to her brain. The charge only lasted a fraction of a second, but in that time Aisha experienced more pain throughout her body then at any other time in her life. The strength of the charge sent her flying backward into the wall behind her. The force of the blow was enough to knock the air out of her as she collapsed to the floor of the bridge.

"You stupid Ctarl Ctarl are all alike. Always thinking you can overcome every situation with brute strength." Laslo laughed as he approached the fallen feline.

The former Space Forces captain urgently tried to get up on all fours, but the lack of air in her lungs and the electricity still coursing through her body made even that simple feat next to impossible. Seeing his prey struggle just to kneel, Laslo teased. "Ahh, poor pussycat can't get up? Here, let me help you." He stepped forward with his left foot and, as hard as he could, swung his right foot forward, slamming it into her side with such force that he lifted her off the floor and back into the wall. Now the pain that was everywhere in her body had a focal point. She felt as though a cannon ball had smashed into the side of her ribs. Glancing over at Laslo confirmed this when she noticed the metal plates over his shoes. That was the last thing she saw as she teetered on the edge of consciousness, eventually falling over that edge when Laslo reared his foot again and kicked her across the face.

"Aaa, you're not so tough. Damned pussycat." The criminal remarked as he crouched over Aisha's still body. Her only movement was her body's desperate attempt to fill its lungs with air. He grabbed her by the ear and lifted her head off the floor as he pulled out a 45-centimeter knife.

"Hmm, I'll say this for you; you've got the nicest ears of any of the Ctarl Ctarl I've killed." He joked as he held his blade at the side of the feline's head, ready to slice her ear completely off. Suddenly, he withdrew the knife, looking from one side to the other. "You're lucky, pussycat. I'll take my prize later. Don't want a mess all over my bridge. Especially since I don't have anyone else I can order to clean it right now, thanks to you." He let go of her ear and her head smacked the floor again. Laslo checked the ships internal monitors just to verify his suspicions. As he thought, Falco was lying in a pool of his own blood about 20 meters from the entry hatch; Pewee was hanging from a meat hook in the galley and Victor lie dead just 10 meters from the bridge. "Fools, worthless fools." The criminal snapped angrily. He looked over at the motionless Aisha once again, seriously considering continuing the beating he had inflicted on her, but seeing her unconscious told him it would be a waste of time. She wouldn't feel it anyway.

~~~~

In the fourth month of the second year at the Service Academy, Aisha and her classmates went on a field trip to the ice planet of Iset Dod. A planet that was so cold the highest temperature ever recorded at its equator was –10 degrees Celsius. The trip was intended to teach the young students that inhospitable climates exist throughout the universe, even within the boundaries of the Empire itself. On their home world the lowest temperature ever recorded at the planet's poles was 7 degrees Celsius. The trip involved a ride on a three-car snow tractor across a 10-km stretch of the equator, followed by a 1-km hike in the snow. Blinking signal markers had been installed along the 10-km trail every 100m to ensure the tractor remained on course at all times. But even with the markers, unexpected ice storms could reduce visibility to zero in a matter of seconds.

On a dare, Aisha ventured outside the trailer to race to the next signal marker and back against her most hated rival. Aisha held a comfortable lead, with just a few meters to go before reaching the marker when the storm hit. Somehow, not only did she manage to reach the marker with zero visibility, but she also managed to spot the unconscious form of her rival several meters away. Retrieving him and dragging him back to the marker, they waited for the storm to pass and the tractor to come by and pick them up. During the storm the temperature dropped to –50 degrees Celsius. Even with her coat, snow boots and hat on, Aisha felt her body beginning to freeze up. Numbness started at her fingertips and toes, slowly creeping up her limps. It was a terrifying sensation, one she was sure she would not survive. 

And even as sleep tried to force its way on her, Aisha did her best to keep her rival awake and alert. "Augusta, come on, you've got to stay with me here. They'll be here any minute now. Don't you fall asleep on me, you bastard. I'm not taking responsibility for your death. You hear me? Stay with me!" She yelled at him as best she could. 

Slowly he opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "You know you really are beautiful when you're angry." His smile faded and a serious expression took its place. "I'm sorry Aisha. I'm sorry for getting you into this, I'm sorry for everything. I just wanted you to know that before-"

"Stop that. Stop saying that. You're not leaving me here alone, you hear me. You're not going to die here. Neither of us will. We are Ctarl Ctarl, Damn It! Ctarl Ctarl don't die this way. So stop the angst and stay with me." She pulled him tight in a desperate attempt to keep both of them alive.

~~~~

Those same sensations were beginning to overtake her as she slowly roused to consciousness.

"Augusta, it's so cold."

As if on queue her body shivered.

Slowly she opened her eyes. It was dark but with her catlike vision and sense of smell, she quickly deduced where she was. "Meat locker." She shivered again. "Damn, it's cold."

"Aah, you're finally awake. It's about time." She looked in the direction the voice appeared to be coming from. Behind her was a large metal door with a small window set high on it. Through the window, she could make out the face of her captor. He had a big satisfied smile on his face as he stared down at her. Laughing he said, "I had a taste for frozen Ctarl Ctarl-bobs. I figure –60 degrees, it should only take about another 20 to 25 minutes for you to freeze to death. I kinda wanted to do the job myself but this way it's a whole less messy. Oh, and don't bother trying to struggle. I filled you up with enough tranquilizer to take down a charging elephant, so don't think you stand a chance at getting away. Hahahaha…" With that he turned and walked away.

"Is that what this weird feeling is?"

She tried to use her hands to get up off the floor but couldn't seem to get them out from behind her back. Only after several failed attempts did Aisha's mind clear up enough for her to realize that her arms were being restrained behind her. She focused her energy on feeling her restraints "Some kind of metal wire, wrapped around my wrists multiple times. Should be easy enough to break, unless it's some kind of re-enforced titanium alloy. Well, only one way to find out." 

Fighting the fog in her head and the cold that threatened to claim her body, Aisha strained against the cord in an attempt to break free. Several minutes passed, and while she managed to stretch the bindings slightly, they were nowhere near breaking. "Okay, that didn't work." She took several deep breaths as she licked her cold lips. "Time for a different approach." She struggled to get herself up onto her knees and tried to force her hands downward around her rear. "Come on damn it, come on." She strained as blood stopped flowing to her hands and they went numb. "Almost… almost." Her arms and shoulders burned on the inside while they froze on the outside as she continued to struggle. "Damn, why couldn't I have longer arms?" She said as she felt her wrists pop and pain shoot up her arm. But it was all she need as she brought her hands around her rear, past her legs and feet, and up to her face. "Finally, something's going right for me."

Just then a wave of dizziness washed over her and at that same time she shivered violently, sending her head crashing to the floor.

"AAUUUGH!" 

Her eyes rolled back and unconsciousness threatened to take her again. 

"No, no I can't fall asleep. If I fall asleep, I'm dead." She forced her eyes open. "Come on Aisha, you can do this, just focus." Slowly she raised her hands to her mouth and began gnawing on the cords. It didn't take long for her powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth to snap through the bindings. With her hands free, the feline got up on shaky legs as she rubbed her hands together and blew into them. "Shit, I can't even feel them." After spending a minute to try and get some feeling back in her hands, she reasoned, "My best bet at warming up is to get the hell out of this meat locker." Turning toward the door she focused all her energy on the lock. "Ram where the lock is and I'll break it right off." She concluded.

The feline rocked back and forth, trying to clear her mind and focus solely on the lock as she gathered up her strength for this effort. When she thought she was ready she let out a roar and charged the door, but she stumbled just before she reached it and crashed head first into the middle of the thick metal door, leaving a minor dent in it. She collapsed to the floor, taking hold of her head, which was throbbing uncontrollably. 

"Rrrrr! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" 

After a moment she wiped the frozen tears of pain from her eyes and began concentrating again.

"I'm not going to die. Not here, not like this." She growled.

She closed her eyes and focused, for to do what she was about to attempt was no easy feat. The ability of a Ctarl Ctarl to transform into their beast form relies greatly on the phase of the planet's moon. But being locked away within this ship, in the middle of the day, in freezing conditions and half-drugged out were all things working against her. It was possible, but it wouldn't be easy. The only thing working in her favor was the fact that Cielo Rojo had not one but four moon. So even in her humanoid form, her strength was greatly enhanced.

Trying to focus proved more difficult then Aisha thought, with the numb feeling overtaking her body from without and the drugs clouding her mind from within. Still, after much effort she could feel her heart begin to race, her blood coursing through her veins faster and faster. A low rumbling roar started to build from deep within her, growing in intensity with each passing moment, slowly causing the hairs over her body to stand on end. Her body became noticeably more muscular, and as her eyes flew open, the distinctive slits of the feline in her showed. Aisha rose to her feet, releasing a hellish roar as her clothes shredded into tattered strips of cloth. 

Transformed into her beast form, she charged the freezer door. From outside, the hinges and lock shook but held. A second crash pulled two bolts loose. A third bent the lock and finally on the forth, the door flew to the opposite end of the galley, crashing into the wall. An exhausted Aisha in her humanoid form staggered out of the freezer and collapsed a few steps away.

On the bridge, Laslo felt as well as heard the disturbance in the galley. Punching up the viewer to the galley, he saw a naked Ctarl Ctarl staggering to get back up on her feet and head down the hall.

"Persistent little minx."

He grabbed his stun gun to verify it was fully charged. Holstering it, he sat back in his captain's chair and waited.

He didn't have long to wait. Aisha appeared at the entrance to the bridge still in her birthday suite, snarling and dripping in sweat.

"Hmm hmm, you're stronger than the others I've killed, but in the end your stupidity is what really defeats you anyway." He stood up with his back to her, waiting for her to make her move.

"RRRRAAAARRRRRRR!!!" Aisha screamed and lunged forward. Laslo turned and fired but this time Aisha was expecting it. Having planted her foot firmly on the floor, she launched herself to the ceiling. Laslo's blast struck the metal wall and discharged throughout the bridge. The Ctarl Ctarl released the beam she had latched onto just as the electricity reached the ceiling and landed on top of Laslo, pinning him to the floor.

The usually cocky criminal broke into a cold sweat as he stared up at the savage eyes of the snarling feline.

"I'll give you the same advice I once gave another opponent. _When you have your enemy down, don't waste time talking. Just finish the job._ With that Aisha swiped at his neck with her claws, slitting his throat and sending blood spraying up on her face and body. The look of utter terror etched in Laslo's eyes told her what she already knew, that despite all his boasting, Laslo was nothing but a coward at heart.

Standing up, she tossed his lifeless body to the side and hit the comm. button on the control panel. The image of Deputy Turner appeared.

"Miss Aisha, thank God!" The deputy's smile immediately vanished. "My God! Have you been hurt, Miss Aisha?" The panic stricken young man quivered.

"No," The feline ran her hand over her face and looked at the blood that stained her palm, then continued. "It's Laslo's blood."

Turner smiled again. "That's great. So I can assume that Laslo Krio and his men have all been neutralized, is that correct?"

She looked over at the criminal's lifeless body. "Yeah, you could say that." Turning back at the monitor, she continued. "Come on over and claim the bodies. Oh, and bring me some clothes too."

Without waiting for a reply Aisha ended the transmission and sat heavily into the captain's chair. "Piece of cake." She grinned, as she let sleep overtake her.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ Gene and Melfina are in for a long rough road ahead but never fear, this is a G/M romance so true love will prevail in the end. Meanwhile, I felt the need to add some action to the story and I just couldn't stand being without my favorite catgirl for so long. ^__^

I'd like to take a minute to say thanks for all the wonderful reviews I got for my last chapter. ^_____^ 

You guys made my week. I was so glad it was so well received. The upcoming chapters should prove very….. interesting….. to say the least. ^_~

I'd also like to take a moment to recognize the great work my new beta-reader Janice has done for me on all my stories. Janice, you really are a Godsend. ^_^

A. Amishi


	19. Chapter 7: Part 2

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 7: Part 2

Melfina walked through the Galaxy Mall, wondering where to start. Before they found the Galactic Leyline, she had dressed rather asexually. Oh sure, she wore a skirt, but her blouse was very similar to a man's dress shirt. With the combination of the loose fitting shirt and her jacket, she had ensured that none of the feminine curves from her thighs up were visible. After the Galactic Leyline, she had gained the confidence to start wearing formfitting dresses, and while she kept her jacket, she found less and less reasons to actually wear it. The reason for the change in wardrobe was because she felt the events that transpired at the Galactic Leyline were a turning point in her life, something that had fundamentally changed her view of her very existence. 

That is how she saw the events of last night as well. It would forever change how she viewed herself and how she would allow Gene to view her. But how was she going to change? What style of attire would best suite the change in their relationship? She looked from side to side at the different stores, trying to decide where to start. After looking at the window display of over a dozen shops, she came to one that specialized in casual business attire. She was captivated by the serious yet feminine appearance of the outfits, not revealing or promiscuous in any way, but not hiding the natural curves and contours of the female frame either. She smiled to herself and walked into the store.

Three hours, seven outfits with accessories and shoes, and four shopping bags later, Melfina emerged from the store. She had always enjoyed shopping, even way back when Jim first took her to find clothes on Blue Heaven, just days after being activated. It was a way for her to escape the worries and concerns of the real world for a time. Now it was a way for her to change her identity, to redefine herself. Before, she was Melfina, ship's navigator and cook, and Gene's… would be girlfriend. Now she had decided she would be Melfina, still navigator and cook, but also an equal partner in Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, just like Jim and even more than Aisha and Suzuka. For while the other two women only shared a portion of their earnings with the rest of the crew, keeping the majority for themselves, this also limited their input in the business decisions of the company. And while Gene usually asked their opinions on important matters - well at least Suzuka's opinion - the final decision was always made by him and Jim. He would ask her opinion sometimes, but that was more often than not just his attempt at being polite, and she knew it. So most of the time she would just agree with him. 

__

'Well, no more. I'm just as important to the crew and ship as any of them, and it's high time I start acting like it. Lets see you pilot the Outlaw Start without me Captain Gene Starwind, if you have any questions about my importance.' She mused.

And now with her new look, she was going to take an active roll in trying to drum up business as well. _'By finding new customers, I'll not only be an equal partner aboard the Outlaw Star, but I'll be an equal partner financially as well. No more asking for handouts or waiting for Gene to remember to give me an allowance. This way, I'll be entitled to an equal share of whatever profits we make.' _The notion brought a smile to her face. 

Melfina continued on this train of thought when the strong smell of hair products assaulted her senses. She turned to see the hair salon she was now standing in front of. Smiling to herself she thought, _'Yes, serious clothes need serious hair as well.'_ And with that thought in mind, she walked inside.

*****

Gene sat on the sofa, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He had wandered the streets of Heifong all night considering the consequences of his actions. After hours of driving around and beating himself up mentally for his shear stupidity, Gene finally came to a place where he resigned himself to the fact that perhaps he and Melfina were not meant to be. 

__

'Maybe it's better this way.' He reasoned. _'Working and living with your lover when you're still young and desirable to so many other women just doesn't seem right. Maybe Mel was right, maybe it's best that this happened now before things got too serious between us. Sure, this way we can still be friends and I can still be the bearer of love for countless other women, not just one.'_ He had concluded during the night. 

But then he had seen her this morning on her way out. The instant he laid eyes upon her all his arguments seemed to vanish away. Seeing her so cheery and anxious to leave, not wanting his company; it seemed obvious to him that ending any type of relationship with him was proving to be a much easier and better thing for Melfina than it was for him.

Still lost in these thoughts, Gene didn't hear the footsteps of the young teenager coming from the stairs and walking past him into the kitchen. A moment later the boy came out of the kitchen, walked up beside his red-haired partner, reared both arms far back, and….

****

CRASH!!!!

He sent Gene sprawling on the floor with an aluminum skillet over his head. The outlaw mumbled something, made a futile attempt at sitting, and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Jim raised the skillet to see the huge dent he had just put into it. 

"Guess I'll need to buy a new one." He turned to walk back to the kitchen. "AWW!" He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Why didn't you use the iron skillet? Afraid you might kill him?"

Clutching his heart, Jim responded. "No, I just didn't want to crack it over his thick skull. Those things are hard to come by now a days, and they're not cheap either."

"I see." Looking from side to side, Suzuka continued. "I see Melfina is not here this morning."

"Yeah, she left a note in the kitchen. She went shopping, but left breakfast in the oven for us."

"In that case, shall we?" The assassin gestured toward the kitchen.

"After you." The boy genius gestured back and deposited the deformed skillet in the trash.

*****

Following Melfina's request for a serious business-like haircut, the beautician shortened her hair off her shoulders, layering it as well. Melfina looked in the mirror at the finished work. She turned her head one way, then the other, finally smiling at her reflection, then up at the beautician.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"My pleasure, ma'am." Her stylist bowed politely.

Melfina got up and gave him a sizeable tip, for which he bowed deeply once again. Then she went to the front of the shop to pay for her cut and retrieve her bags. As she paid, the young brunette had an idea.

"Excuse me, do you have a room or restroom I might be able to change in?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. It's in the back to your right." The cashier said, pointing in that direction.

"Thank you." The bio-android replied as she walked to the back of the shop and into the restroom.

*****

Gene walked into the kitchen rubbing the back of his head and cursing under his breath. Jim and Suzuka were finishing their breakfast when he walked in.

"What's the big idea hitting me like that Jim?" The outlaw spouted angrily.

Jim just ignored him and continued eating.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The redhead barked.

Jim glared up at his partner for a moment, then returned to his meal.

"What I do to you?" Gene frowned as he wrinkled his brow in confusion.

With that, Jim slammed his fork down and stood up, turning to look at the object of his anger. "It's not what you did to me! It's what you did to my friend! I knew you were a pervert, but I never thought that even you could lower yourself to the level of a snake!" The young teen shouted.

"Is this about Melfina?" The outlaw asked innocently, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Of course this is about Melfina! You hurt her, Gene. You hurt her bad. She spent the whole day getting herself ready, all that time to make herself beautiful just for you, and you left her waiting for hours. I bet when you finally got home you were drunk and smelled like cheap perfume." The more the boy genius thought about it the angrier he got.

At this point Suzuka placed her fork down and readied herself for any possible occurrence.

Gene took his hand away from his head, slowly lowering it to his side. The memories of last night were still very fresh in his mind. "I know all too well what I did to Melfina," he said soberly, "and I don't need you to remind me."

"You might not need it but you deserve it!" The boy snapped back.

The outlaw knew his partner was right, but his pride prevented him from admitting it, not to himself and especially not to his young friend. "What do you know about what I deserve? You're just a kid! You've never even had a girlfriend, let alone been in love! You know nothing about what I'm going through! You'll never know!"

"I should have shot you instead of hitting you with the frying pan!" Jim yelled.

A cold look glazed over Gene's eyes. "Take your best shot, little man."

"GRRR…. AAAH!" Jim reached for his gun behind his back, his hand clutching the handle, but before he could pull it out he felt the barrel of Gene's pistol pressed against his forehead.

"Haha, sorry Jim, you're just too slow- Augh." Gene's eyes went wide as he felt the blade of Suzuka's bokudo pressed against his adam's apple.

"I suggest you put down your gun, Gene Starwind. This is not worth losing your head over, but if you press the issue, I assure you, you will." The assassin spoke coldly.

Not taking the chance to move any part of his body other than his eyes, he gave her a sideways glance. "This fight doesn't concern you, Suzuka."

"I've chosen to make Jim and Melfina's welfare my concern, therefore this does concern me. Now lower your gun." She insisted.

Gene obeyed her instructions, taking a moment to show her the safety setting. "I wouldn't have shot him, the safety was still set." He re-holstered his weapon. "I just needed to put him in his place." He stared at Suzuka for a moment and she withdrew her sword. Staring back at Jim for a moment, who was still heaving in anger, he laughed, then turned around and started walking away. "I need a shower."

"All the showers in the world couldn't clean a filthy snake like you, Gene Starwind!" The boy hollered.

"Stop your crying, you big baby." The outlaw snapped back.

With that Jim drew his gun and fired.

*****

Melfina was quite pleased with her new image. It felt right. Now if she was going to be an equal partner in Starwind & Hawking Enterprises, she was going to have to go out and drum up some business. As she made her way to the front of the store, both the customers and employees couldn't help but take notice of this very well dressed, professional looking woman walking past them. One even commented, "When did she walk to the back room?" 

At the front of the store, she walked up to the cashier once again. "Excuse Me." She said in her normal polite manner.

"Yes ma'am, how may I help you today?" The cashier asked.

Melfina smiled as she realized that the young woman didn't recognize her anymore. "Yes, is the owner or manager available?" She asked.

"Umm," she looked to the back of the store, "one moment please." She picked up the phone. A moment later she hung up and said, "The owner will be right with you."

As the cashier had said, the owner of the salon, a tall attractive blonde, impeccably dressed and walking with an air of confidence, came to the front of the store. Melfina, assuming this woman had to be the owner, turned to greet her, hand extended.

"Hello."

"Hello, my name is Salvia Hitarishi, I'm the owner and operator of this salon." The woman smiled. "How may I help you, Miss…?"

"Melfina." The bio-android shook the owners hand. After a brief moment, she realized that the woman was waiting to hear her surname as well. Melfina thought quickly. _'Well, I was created by Professor Gwen Kan, but I don't want to be reminded of that man, and besides, I don't like the name Kan. It sounds illegal. I'm the sole navigator of the XGP, the Outlaw Star, but XGP is not a name. Hmm, Outlaw? No, Star? Perhaps, Melfina Star. No, sounds like I should be some kind of celebrity.'_ She quickly glanced slightly to the left and right of Miss Hitarishi, stopping when a row of hair care products caught her attention. 

Deciding quickly, she said, "Miss Melfina Airbright." She smiled.

"Well, Miss Airbright, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was hoping, if you had a moment, I may be able to do something to help you." The brunette offered.

"Oh?" The blonde began walking toward her office, gesturing at Melfina to walk with her.

"I represent Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. We specialize in solving the problems that threaten otherwise healthy businesses. I couldn't help overhearing some of your employees mention that you're having problems with your current supplier." Melfina explained.

"Yes, they hold a virtual monopoly on imports from the Faa system, which is where the hair care products we use are manufactured. They continue to raise their rates, and it's getting to the point where we simply can't afford it anymore. We've looked at switching importers, but for just about everyone the trip to Faa is a special run, so it's even more expensive. Others won't even attempt the trip because it's right in the heart of Ban Pirate territory, and hijackings are a regular occurrence there. We've considered switching brands, but these products are what our customers like. Unfortunately, even our customers have limits as to how much they will be willing to spend, and if we can't pass on the increased expense, then we're going to lose any profits we are currently making."

"I see. Well, how many cases do you usually purchase each month?" Melfina asked as they entered the owner's office and closed the door.

*****

On Suzuka's recommendation, Jim went to see about the maintenance needs of the Outlaw Star, and to the local wreckers for parts they could possibly resell.

"I can't believe the little bastard shot me in the ass." Gene groaned into his pillow as he lay face down on his makeshift bed with his pants pulled down.

"Jim is a young man of deep passions. You of all people should know better than to provoke those passions." Suzuka said as she removed the gauze from the point of impact. She searched in the first aid kit and retrieved a pair of surgical clamps. "Alright Gene, this is going to be quite painful. Would you like something to bite down on?"

"Just get the damn thing out." He commanded, burying his face into his pillow.

"Very well." Suzuka inserted the instrument into the bullet hole until she felt the tip of the clamp touch the bullet. She proceeded to open the clamp wide and shove it in a little further. Gene gritted his teeth, refusing to let out a scream.

Clamping down on the bullet, Suzuka slowly pulled the offending object out. In doing so, the wound began bleeding once again. Grabbing more gauze, the longhaired woman applied pressure to the wound while still pulling out the bullet slowly. 

Struggling to keep from crying out in pain, the outlaw tensed up every muscle in his body, which just made it harder for Suzuka to extract the bullet, resulting in even more pain.

"You need to relax your muscles, otherwise I will end up doing more harm trying to remove this thing." She instructed.

"I'm trying!" The outlaw yelled through gritted teeth.

"Try harder." She insisted.

But even with her insistence, he couldn't get himself to relax.

Fed up with his childish behavior, she released the gauze and picked up the first aid box, striking him over the head with it.

"OUCH!" He yelled.

In that instant, his body relaxed, and she pulled the bullet the rest of the way out.

"Ouch!!" He yelled again.

Ignoring his complaints, the assassin discarded the offensive object, grabbed additional gauze, and continued to apply pressure until the bleeding stopped.

"Why did you hit me?" The outlaw yelled.

"To get you to relax your muscles. And it worked." She responded coolly. "Now stay still until I can get the bleeding to stop."

"You didn't have to hit me in the same place Jim hit me." He mumbled, rubbing his sore head.

"Actually, that was precisely the place I was aiming for." She countered.

"What?!"

"That way, I didn't have to strike you very hard, but I was still able to get the desired result." Suzuka explained.

"Yeah, right, you sadist." He groaned.

Confident he could not see her expression, she cracked a small grin. With the bleeding stopped, she grabbed the basting syringe she had brought with her from the kitchen filled with her own healing ointment. Slowly, she inserted it into the wound, then she began to squeeze the substance into the hole, gradually extracting the syringe in the process. 

"Augh! That burns!" The outlaw yelled again.

"Gene, for a tough guy, you complain a great deal." 

"Yeah, whatever." He gritted his teeth, trying his best to block out the burning sensation that continued to intensify.

Completing this task, Suzuka picked up a surgical needle and thread, and began sewing up the bullet hole. This was a pain Gene was accustomed to, so much so that he didn't even flinch once with the repeated insertion and extraction of the needle.

Certain that the worst was over, the outlaw relaxed, then he began getting very tense for another reason. The silence between the two was making Gene very uneasy.

With the task of sewing up the wound finished, Suzuka grabbed a disposable syringe, took it out of its packaging, and gave Gene a tetanus shot. 

"There, all done." She tossed the syringe in the trash along with the blood stained gauze, and placed the remaining items back in the first aid kit, closing it securely and tucking it under her arm while picking up the basting syringe with her other hand and standing up. Gene quickly pulled up his pants and got up as well. 

"Suzuka."

She stopped and turned toward him just as she reached the stairs.

"Thank you."

She paused for a moment. In most instances like this, she would usually refrain from saying anything at all, especially considering her current feelings toward the outlaw she just aided. But having been around these people for over a year now, she was finding it increasingly difficult not to share her thoughts and feeling with them.

"Think nothing of it." She finally responded. "I know I won't."

She turned to walk away.

"Suzuka?" He called out again.

Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him once again.

"I guess you're mad at me too. Do you think I'm a snake?" He asked, hoping for some kind of reprieve.

Looking at the sincere expression on his face, Suzuka couldn't help but temper her own anger. "No Gene, I don't think you are a snake. But I don't think this has been one of your shining moments either."

"It's not like I set out to hurt Melfina. It's just…" He started to say in his own defense.

"You don't have to start with the intent to hurt Melfina. She is so innocent and naïve that it is easy to hurt her without even trying. What makes her so amazing is her capacity to forgive. She's probably forgiven you for last night already."

"If she has, why can't anyone else?"

Suzuka sighed. "Perhaps my own anger stems not so much with from your actions but rather with myself."

"Yourself?" Confusion was etched in his face.

"Melfina once asked me if I honestly believed you could change your ways. If you could stop being a womanizing drunk and be truly devoted to one person."

"She asked you that?" A slightly hurt expression crossed his face. "She actually called me a drunk?"

"Well, she may have phrased it differently, but that is how I interpreted it. Anyway, my first instinct was to say no."

Gene's countenance fell. 

"But instead I rambled on about it being the will and desire of the individual to want to change for the better, if what they were changing for was genuinely important to them. I guess I feel responsible for giving Melfina such a convoluted answer and thus contributing to her heartache yesterday." The raven-haired assassin concluded.

Gene considered her words for a moment, then replied. "Well, I guess your words weren't so convoluted after all."

"Excuse me?" 

"Melfina forgave me, but she ended any possibility of a relationship between us as well." He turned his head, unable to stare Suzuka in the eye.

"She did that?" The assassin's expression revealed her genuine surprise and shock.

"She said I wasn't the kind of man she needed. She said she needed someone who was passionate about her, passionate enough to want to change for the better. She realized last night that I wasn't that kind of man." He hung his head low, remembering her words and how they had passed through him harder and hotter than any bullet or knife ever had.

"Hmm, perhaps Melfina isn't quite so naïve after all." Suzuka allowed a faint grin to pass her lips only for a moment before proceeding down the stairs.

*****

Melfina sat patiently in the waiting area of the Fifteen-Minute Printers. After having to make an excuse for not having a business card for the forth time, she decided to have some made up. Not just for herself, but for Jim and Gene as well.

"Miss, your cards are ready." The clerk said.

The young bio-android stood up and walked over to the counter. "How much will that be?" She started to pull out money from the new purse she had bought.

"Hmm, let's see. That's three cards, 500 each. That comes to 36 wong." He totaled. 

She flipped through the bills in her hand, ready to hand him 40 wong.

"Oh, by the way, would you be interested in any cardholders?" The clerk asked.

"Cardholders?" She looked up at him.

"Yes," He reached under the counter and pulled out a large glass case that displayed 12 different types of cardholders, six designed with men in mind and six designed with women in mind. Setting the display on the counter, he explained, "Each is designed to hold 20 cards, and is a stylish and professional way of protecting your cards, and quite impressive when you pull it out and open it to hand a potential client your card." He opened the case, and following the direction of Melfina's gaze, pulled out a cardholder and held it out for her to hold.

She took it into her hand, admiring the workmanship that went into making it. "That one is made out of turquoise with slivers of dragonite inlaid, creating the image of the butterfly you see. Turn it slightly under the light." He suggested.

Melfina did as suggested. "Aaa! The butterfly looks like it's flying." She smiled. "How much is it?"

"Twenty-five wong, each one is twenty-five wong."

"Oh, that's more than the cards." She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Yes, but if you take care of it, it will last you for years to come." He explained.

"I suppose." She looked at the case again, then decided. "I'll take it."

"Very good." The clerk smiled as he added it to her total.

She looked at the amount of money she had left, then said, "I'll take two more as well."

"Very good!" He quickly added them to the total, then asked. "Which would you like?"

"Hmm, let me see, … that one… and… that one." Melfina pointed at the two she wanted.

"Two excellent choices." The clerk took out the two she pointed at. "This one is made of onyx with geometric designs carved in, as you can see. Perfect for an engineer or scientist."

"Yes, Jim would like it, I think." She ran her hand over the case, tracing the designs with her finger.

"And this one is made of a titanium alloy, very rugged, very durable; ideal for the man on the go, simple yet stylish."

"Mmm, perfect for Gene." She smiled but then thought, _'What if he gets the wrong idea? What if he thinks this gift is my way of saying I want to get back together?'_ She paused for a moment, considering her own words. _'No, it's not like I'm getting it only for him. I'm getting one for Jim too. This is an appropriate gift for a business partner. He should understand that.'_

"Yes, I'll take these two as well." She handed them back to the clerk.

"Shall I wrap all three for you?" He asked.

"No, I wish to use mine right now, if that's alright?" She smiled hesitantly.

"That's fine, but would you like me to get you a new one from the back?" He inquired.

"No, this one is fine." She assured him.

"Very well." He placed the two male cases back in the display and walked to the back room to retrieve two new ones.

While he was gone, Melfina opened her case, then opened her box of business cards. Counting out 20, she removed them and closed the box. She took a moment to admire them. They were simple cards, with the company name, "Starwind and Hawking Enterprises" printed in the middle in large raised lettering. In the lower left corner was her name, "Melfina Eirbright". She had spent quite a bit of time writing out different variations of the name she got from a bottle of shampoo, Hairbright, in an effort not to have her new surname confused with the hair care product. Below her name it said "Partner/Ship's Navigator". On the lower right corner it said, "Owners of the Spaceship the Outlaw Star". She turned the card over to see their company slogan, "We solve all problems, from tractors to relationships". Back on the front in the upper left corner was the company's website and on the upper right, the business number of the shop.

"Simple but informative." She smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

AN: Yes, it's an all new Melfina. I wondered long and hard if she was actually capable of such a change, but after re-watching the last couple episodes, I was convinced that yes, Melfina could do something like this. The Melfina after the Galactic Leyline was a much more confident and self assured Melfina, and I think after the final conflict with Gene, Melfina is now emotionally grown enough to know that it's about time for her to be living up to her potential. She is personable and intelligent, and her physical appearance is more than engaging enough to get her in the door, especially with her new look. Now I know some of you will probably say this is too great a leap for Melfina to take, but if you think about it for a while, it really isn't. In addition, this type of personality change is not unprecedented in Japanese entertainment. I've read accounts of Japanese shows where a character will use a single defining moment as the catalyst to alter not just their appearance, but their very behavior. So in that sense it is consistent. But don't worry, Melfina will still be Melfina, and there is still lots of more interesting stuff yet to happen. ^_^

Thank you all so very much for your supportive comments and reviews. It really makes my day when I log in and see that people are reading my story, and are being entertained enough to take the time to leave a review. ^_^ Thank you all so very much. 

And a special thanks to my beta-reader, Janice, who continues to do a great job at editing my stories. Thank you so very much Janice. ^_^

By the way, if anyone here is going to ACEN'04 this year, be sure to look for me at the Fanfiction Panel. I've been asked to be one of the panelists, and I'm very excited about it. ^_____^ I hope I can prove helpful to other writers and prospective writers with my suggestions and ideas. So I hope to see some of you there. ^_^

A. Amishi


	20. Chapter 7: Part 3

Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 7: Part 3

Gene sat gingerly on one cheek as he went over their account on Jim's laptop.  He sighed, then shook his head.

"This is not good," he moaned as he rubbed his temples.

Suzuka sat at the dining table reading the newspaper and occasionally pausing to take a sip of her tea.  She shifted her eyes to look over her book in the direction of the Outlaw, but refrained from saying anything.  A second later, she returned to her paper.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gene noticed her attention shift from her book to him, if only for a moment.  The arrogant Outlaw assumed this was a sufficient enough reason to unload his problems on the beautiful assassin.

"I can't believe that after all the money we made on Cielo Rojo and the money we got for the goods we sold, we're still so far in the red." He glanced over at the assassin, hoping to get a curious inquiry from her.

Nothing.

The Outlaw continued, "I knew we owed Fred Luo a lot of money, but I didn't realize it was this much."  He glanced over at her again.

Nothing.

"I was hoping to be able to take some time off and just take it easy for awhile, but now I guess that's out of the question."

Nothing

"Of course, we still have the same problem we had before we left Heifong.  We still have trouble finding jobs here.  That problem hasn't changed."

Finally, Suzuka set the newspaper down and stood up.  She picked up her cup and walked into the kitchen.  Gene could hear the water running for a minute, then it stopped.  Returning from the kitchen, the assassin picked up her paper and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" the Outlaw asked, wrinkling his brow.

"To the library, it's far too noisy in here to read," she replied.

"Humph!" Gene turned from Suzuka back to the laptop.

The door opened suddenly and Jim walked in, appearing to be in good spirits.

"Hi, Suzuka." He closed the door behind him.

"Hello, Jim, how was your day?" she asked politely.

While Jim considered giving the assassin a longwinded response, going over all he did both to the ship and at the various vehicle yards he often ventured to for spare parts, he knew Suzuka was simply being polite and had no real interest in hearing about the specifics of his day, so instead he simply replied, "Fine, and yours?"

"Uneventful, for the most part."

Niceties aside, Jim walked further into their home, only to have his sunny mood darkened by the sight of Gene banging away on his computer.

"What are you doing here? And why are you using my laptop?" he snapped.

"Well, for one, I live here, and two, I was just checking the account to see where we are at," Gene threw back.

"We're still in the red and we still owe Fred over 1.7 million wong.  Anything else you want to know?" the boy snarled.

Gene narrowed his eyes at his partner, closed the laptop, and walked towards the kitchen.

Suzuka, while anxious to leave, decided to stay awhile just to make sure Gene didn't decide to retaliate against his young protégé.

Jim walked over to his laptop and flipped it back open.  Sure enough, the only thing up was a listing of their account.  No nudie pictures as he suspected, and no deductions from the account as he feared.  "Hmm." He looked over towards the kitchen as Gene walked out with a glass of juice in his hand.  The Outlaw plopped himself down on the easy chair across from Jim and immediately stiffened.  "Shhh!" He gritted his teeth as the pain from his wound made his rear end throb.  "Rrrrr" Anger was etched on his face as he stared at his partner, but as the pain subsided, so did the hard expression, until he was able to relax back into the chair and turn his attention to his glass.

"So what's your plan for getting us the rest of the way out of debt?" he asked.

Letting his earlier anger subside, Jim brought up a spreadsheet he had made up the day before.  "Well, if we can make at least 300,000 wong a month, we should be caught up with all our current and future debts – at least for the coming year – within eight months."

"Oh, is that all? 300,000 a month, yeah, no problem.  By the way, how much did we make here in Heifong during the, what, seven, eight months we've been here?  Oh, yeah, less then 30,000 wong, but now we're going to start making 300,000 a month, no problem."  He finished taking a drink of his juice.

"I didn't say it was going to be easy, you jerk!  I just said what we could do if we managed to make that much!"  Jim yelled.

"Well, any prospects?" the Outlaw asked.

"No, but we only got back yesterday.  I'm sure we'll get some interest soon enough," the boy genius replied.

"That's what you said over a year and a half ago.  Remember how that worked out?"  Gene countered.

Reassured that Gene and Jim were at least conducting themselves civilly, if not friendly, Suzuka turned to leave, but before she could reach for the doorknob, the door opened once again.

"Oh!" A startled Melfina stepped back for a moment, then smiled and walked in.  "Hi Suzuka, are you on your way out?"

"Melfina?"  Surprise was evident in both the long-haired woman's voice and expression.

"Yes?" The bio-android looked at Suzuka intently, expecting to be asked a question, but none was forth coming.  Finally realizing Suzuka's surprised expression stemmed from her new look, she simply smiled and walked over to the dining table, placing her bags on it.

"Hello, Mel," Jim finally said, interrupting the conversation he and Gene were engaged in.  "How… WHOW!" 

Gene immediately turned to look at Melfina.  Instantly, his eyes went wide and he jumped up to his feet.  "Melfina, what did you do?"

"What do you mean?" she replied innocently.

"He means your hair, your clothes.  You… you look like a different person," Jim squeaked out. "Wh-why the change?"

She was searching in her bags looking for something and didn't stop to answer until she found it.  Turning to her two male companions, she said, "Well, after last night…"

Gene instantly shrank just a little, not enough for Jim to notice, who was now giving Melfina his full attention, but enough to attract the two women's attention.

"… when I decided I was no longer Gene's girlfriend…"

Jim shot Gene a look, this time noticing the proud Outlaw's shoulders drop just a little further.

"… I asked myself, who am I?  Navigator of the Outlaw Star, cook for her crew, but what else?"

She paused for a moment, turning her attention to Suzuka. "Oh, by the way, I just wanted to thank you once again for helping me yesterday, Suzuka.  I hope this gift can in some small way express my gratitude."  She handed her a small purple satin bag that closed with a gold braided drawstring.  "I hope you like it."

Suzuka graciously accepted the gift, opened the bag, and removed from it a jade handled hairbrush.  The woman turned the brush in her hand one way, then the other.  The intricate carvings of dragons and tigers decorated the brush as she recognized the bristles as being natural animal hair, not nylon or plastic.

She looked up at Melfina's smiling face, her own completely void of expression.  Melfina's smile began to fade.  Suzuka noticed this, causing her to finally respond.

"Yes… I do like it, Melfina.  It's…" she looked at it once more.  "It's beautiful."  She looked up at Melfina again.  "Thank you."  She walked up to Melfina. Placing her hands on the younger woman's arms, she drew the bio-android close, pressing her cheek to Melfina's forehead.

Surprised by the assassin's action, Melfina hesitated, but only for a moment.  She reached up with her arms, taking gentle hold of Suzuka's elbows, and said softly, "You're welcome."

Suzuka separated herself from the bio-android. "Excuse me," she said, and proceeded to walk up to her room, locking the door behind her.

Gene and Jim looked at each other and shrugged.  When Melfina began speaking again, they turned their attention back to her.

"So I decided what I wanted to be, who I choose to identify myself as, is a partner of this company," she concluded.

"PARNTER?" they both blurted out in unison.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, smiling widely.

"Mel, you can't just make yourself a partner," Gene said loudly and firmly.

"Oh, well, why not?" she asked, genuinely surprised by Gene's reaction.

"Because it's not done, that's why not." Frustration was starting to show on the red haired outlaw's face.

"Buy why?" their young female companion asked innocently.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Gene on this one, Mel.  You can't just decide to be our partner and expect us to go along with it without adding something to the business that helps us succeed," the fair-haired boy replied.

"But I already navigate the ship and prepare all the meals, both on the ship and at home," she responded.

"True, but it takes more than that to be a partner.  You would need to work at helping us generate new business and actually perform the jobs, or at least parts of the job we get.  Otherwise, you're really nothing more than an employee," the boy genius explained.

Melfina paused for a moment, considering Jim's words.  Finally, with all seriousness, she replied, "So what has been my salary this past year and a half since I've been in your employment?"  She looked squarely at Jim.

"Aaa…" Confusion and fear etched themselves on Jim's face as he broke into a cold sweat.

"We've given you money as you needed it," Gene threw out.

"But only when you had extra money around, and only when it was convenient for you.  An employee gets paid regularly, regardless of whether the business is making money or not.  Besides…"  She pulled out a softbound leather briefcase from one of her bags, opened it and pulled out a paper, placing it on the table.  "If generating business is a requirement, then I've already met that criteria," she smiled.

Both Jim and Gene walked up to the table to inspect the paper Melfina had placed there.  After giving Gene a minute to read it, Jim picked it up and scrutinized it carefully.

"This is a contract."

"Mmm hmm," she nodded.

"Agreement to deliver 30,000 wong of Hairbright hair care products on the 3rd day of each month.  Items to include six cases of shampoo, six cases of conditioner, four cases of hair treatment solution, two cases of each of the following hair coloring products: Jet Black, Autumn Amber, Wheatfield Brown, Golden Blonde, Platinum Blonde, etc., etc..  Negotiated shipping fee, 7, 650 wong.  Agreement to take effect on the 3rd month of the Toward Star calendar and to remain in effect for one full year.  If major unforeseen events were to occur resulting in increased cost to ship the products, the customer agrees to renegotiate terms in good faith."

"Melfina, you signed a contract.  Do you know what you've done?  You've obligated us to fulfill this contract for a year.  Do you know what the Kaspar System is like?  It's a graveyard for most independent merchants because it's right in the heart of Bon Pirate Territory.  We will spend twice this shipping fee in weapons replacement each month, not to mention repairs for any damage we may incur.  I can't believe you did something like this without talking to us first."  Jim said, sadness and disappointment clearly evident on his face.

Melfina lowered her head and shook it side to side.  "I can't believe you think I'm really that naive.  If you look at the bottom of the contract, you'll see that it is not binding until both you and Gene sign it.  And…" she reached into her briefcase again and pulled out seven other contracts, placing them on the table.  "Three of these are for products manufactured in the Kaspar System, the other four at Anami 4, which is on route to Kaspar.  As for pirate trouble, I went over the numbers with Gillium just a little while ago, and we calculated that it is possible for the Outlaw Star to come out of sub-ether space within a gravity well.  By doing that we can avoid contact with the pirates on our arrival to Kaspar at least.  Departing will be more dangerous, but that's half the challenge, isn't it?"  She smiled.

Gene listened intently while Jim thumbed through the contracts.

"This comes out to nearly 50,000 wong a month," the boy said excitedly.

"For what should be no more than five days of work per month, three if we optimize the Outlaw Star's sub-ether drive to run over 30 consecutive hours," Melfina added with a smile.

"That's amazing, Melfina," Gene said, his tone flat, his face expressionless.

"Ah…" Jim's wide-eyed expression really said it all.  "You really thought of everything," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Melfina's smile grew. "Well, if I'm going to be taken seriously as a partner in this business, I need to treat it seriously."  She grinned, her smile so large that her eyes were practically shut.  Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open.  "Oh!  By the way."  She searched in her bags again.  "I got you each something."  She handed each of them two boxes.

They looked at the items, not sure what to do with them.

Finally, Melfina explained, "They're business cards and a business card holder."

Jim raised an eyebrow.  "What did you get these for?  We never needed business cards before."

"Well, I found that everyone I spoke with wanted a business card from me, so I thought you should have some too."  She removed her carrier from her purse and pulled out one of her cards, handing it to Jim

"Starwind and Hawking Enterprises… Melfina Eirbright?" The surprise was plainly evident on Jim's face and in his voice.

"What?"  Gene turned and took the card from Jim's hand.  "Who's Melfina Eirbright?"  A hint of anger and confusion was obvious in his voice.

"I am."  Melfina grinned widely.

"You gave yourself a last name?"  Jim asked.

"Mmm hmm."  She nodded.

"But why?"  Gene wondered aloud.

"Because everyone I spoke with expected me to have one," she answered plainly.

"But why Eirbright?  How did you decide on that name?" Jim's curiosity was peaked.

"Well, it's kind of silly really.  I was in the salon getting my hair done when I overheard a couple of the employees talking about how they were going to have to change their line of hair care products because shipping costs were getting way too expensive.  Well, I decided to take the opportunity to talk to the owner, so I went to their restroom and changed into this outfit, then went and asked to see the owner. When she came out she told me her name, and when I told her my name was Melfina, she sort of waited, expecting me to give her my last name as well.  So I thought for a moment and come up with Eirbright," the bio-android explained.

"But why Eirbright?"

"Well," she blushed a little. "Does it sound familiar?" she asked.

Jim and Gene thought for a moment, then looked at each other and shrugged.  Suddenly, Jim gave a knowing look and flipped through the contracts.  Finding the one he was searching for, he said, "Hairbright!  You named yourself after the shampoo?"

"Actually, I changed it to Eirbright, but I needed to change the spelling so people wouldn't get confused with the product," Melfina answered.

"Well, Miss Eirbright…" Jim smiled, "Let me welcome you as an equal partner to Starwind and Hawking Enterprises."  He extended his hand.

"Really!  Do you mean it?"  The dark haired young woman asked, raising her hands to her mouth in an effort to contain her excitement.

"I don't see why not.  What do you think, Gene?"  The boy genius turned towards his partner.

Gene was still looking at Melfina's business card.

"Gene?"

Slowly looking up, first at Melfina, then over at Jim, the red-haired outlaw replied, "Whatever you decide, Jim.  It's okay with me."  He turned to Melfina again.  "Congratulations, Mel, I guess you were right, if you want something badly enough, you can change.  You are a totally independent woman now."  Gene pocketed the card and walked over to the sofa to grab his coat.  "I've got some things I have to do.  I'll see you guys later."  And he was out the door.

Jim and Melfina stared at the door for a moment longer.

AN: Well, it took me long enough, but here it is.  Hope you enjoyed this chapter, though it was wholly missing excitement, but sometimes that is necessary to allow a story to progress.  The next chapter should prove much more interesting, I'm sure. 

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read my story and a special thanks to those who also reviewed it. 

And a very big thank you as always to my awesome beta-reader, Janice.  Thanks so much, Janice. 

Thank you all,

A. Amishi


	21. Chapter 7: Part 4

Disclaimer:  See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Chapter 7: Part 4

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Melfina and Jim were sitting at the table, going over the contracts and discussing plans to get additional clients to maximize their earnings for the run to Kaspar System when Suzuka exited her room and made her way down the metal stairs.  She looked around, seeing only Jim and Melfina, she assumed Gene must have left.  With evening fast approaching, she decided to partake in her one vice.  With as much money as she earned at Cielo Rojo, she was ready to enjoy herself, if only for a few hours.

"Oh, Suzuka," Melfina looked up, then looked at the clock.  "Oh, I didn't realize it had gotten so late.  I haven't even started dinner yet.  I'm sorry."

"No apologies necessary, I was planning on dining out tonight." She started for the door, then turned.  "I'll most likely be returning quite late tonight, so do not be alarmed if you hear noises in the early morning hours." That said, she walked out the door.

"Do you ever hear her when she comes or goes at night?" Jim asked.

Melfina shook her head and smiled.  "What would you like for dinner?" she asked as she stood up.

"Why don't we go out to eat?" Jim replied, standing as well.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I've got plenty of my own money, and besides, you deserve it." He gave her a big grin.

"Ah, okay."  She smiled broadly, "Just give me a minute to change?" and she scurried up to her room.

Jim smiled up at her retreating figure, then he thought and looked down at himself.  He had spent most of the day working on the Outlaw Star and rummaging though scrap yards, and his clothes showed it.

"Guess I should go change as well," he said aloud, heading to his room.

---

After losing 16,000 wong at the roulette table, Suzuka decided to take a casual walk over to the bar.  Taking the time to survey the casino's clientele – always vigilant for any possible adversaries or potential clients – as she approached the bar, she spotted a familiar figure slouched over a drink.

"Buy a girl a drink," came a sultry deep voice.

"Not tonight, I wouldn't be very good company right now." Not bothering to look up, Gene waved her off.

Taken aback by his comment, Suzuka replied, "Really?" curiosity evident in her voice.

This time he thought he recognized the voice and turned to see the beautiful assassin standing beside him.  "Oh, it's you, Suzuka." He turned to the bartender who was refilling his glass and pointed to the woman standing next to him.

"What will it be, ma'am?"

"Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred," she replied.

Gene raised an eyebrow and turned to catch a glimpse of his crewmate.  "That's not your usual poison."

Suzuka sat on the just vacated stool next to him.  "Don't presume to know me, Gene Starwind."

Gene gave a silent laugh. "The enigmatic Twilight Suzuka, forever a mystery."

He raised his glass to his mouth and took a long drink.

"You're not so predictable yourself.  This place isn't one of your usual haunts."

"No… I needed a drink, but didn't want to be bothered by anyone either.  Can't do that at my usual spots.  I figured I was safe in a casino.  People here are more interested in losing their money, not their innocence." 

Suzuka nodded a thank you to the bartender and took a drink.  "Still upset over losing Melfina?"

Gene squeezed his glass, "Is it that obvious?"

Suzuka gave him a sideways look, "You surprise me, Gene.  I assumed you would be off working on your next conquest by now."

The outlaw finished off his drink and stood up. "Sorry to disappoint you, Suzuka.  Is it really such a shock to learn that I actually have a heart?" He tossed some bills on the bar and left.

Taken aback by his comment, Suzuka failed to reply before Gene was well beyond hearing range.  She stared after him until he was out of sight, obviously heading for the exit, then she ordered another martini and finished the one she was drinking.

---

Jim raised his glass and said, "A toast, to Starwind, Hawking, and Eirbright Enterprises, may we succeed where others have failed."

Melfina, who had raised her glass as well, giggled and took a sip.  "You know, Jim, you don't have to change the name of the company on my account.  I don't mind being a silent partner," she said, then took another sip.

"Are you sure, Mel?  I don't mind changing the name, and I'm sure Gene won't mind either." He only half believed that last statement.

Melfina put down her glass and considered Jim's comment.  She wasn't so sure her young friend was right.  _'Gene didn't seem too happy with my success or my decision to become a partner.  He seemed… I don't know… threatened, maybe.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I don't think changing the name of the company right now is such a good idea.'_  She grinned and suggested, "Well, I did just buy all those business cards.  Maybe we should wait until we need to order more before we go changing the company name?"

_'Smart, Mel, very smart.'_ Jim thought for a moment, then replied, "Mmm… maybe you're right.  Hate to waste all those cards." He smiled.  A moment later their food arrived.

---

Having won back what she had lost earlier, plus a few thousand wong extra, Suzuka decided to take a walk in search of some solitude and reflection.  Her wanderings took her to Heifong's Interplanetary Botanical Gardens.  She walked the garden paths, observing the variety of plant life and enjoying the assortment of pleasant odors emanating from them.  As she walked, she came upon a separate building with a sign announcing the current exhibit of exotic real flowers from the outer frontier.  Suzuka immediately noticed the dramatic increase in the pleasant aroma within the small building, and as she walked around, she saw each unique type labeled, identifying its planet of origin and its natural environment. 

The time of day that it was made for a very peaceful walk for the kimono clad beauty.  While she walked she encountered one young couple who seemed to be more interested in observing each other up close rather than the plant life.  Realizing they were no longer alone, they made a rapid retreat from the sanctuary, laughing and giggling on the way out.  Suzuka continued her exploration, finally coming to the far end of the building.  Once again a solitary figure stood observing a rather unique red and yellow flower.

This time choosing to leave him to his solitude, Suzuka turned to make a quiet exit.

"She knew, just by looking at them, that they weren't real, unlike these." 

The assassin stopped and turned her head, giving Gene her complete attention.  Though she didn't say a word, he knew she was listening closely.  "We were running from Aisha at the time, and we ended up in a garden sanctuary back on Blue Heaven.  That was the first time she ever saw a flower, but she knew they weren't real.  They were… synthetic was the word she used, constructed, like her.  Then she questioned what she was made for, how, and why?"  He pulled off his glove and reached forward to touch the delicate bloom.  "It was then that I promised to find the answers to her questions for her.  She needed me back then.  I thought she still needed me.  I guess… I was… wrong." He lowered his hand.

Suzuka walked up to Gene.  Standing next to him, she gazed at the flowers that drew his attention.  "So, it's all about control, isn't it?" she inquired.

"What?" Gene felt genuinely insulted.  "I never tried to control her!  You're crazy!  You don't know what you're talking about!" he snapped.

"I didn't mean you wanted to control Melfina.  I meant you need to feel as if you are in control of the relationship.  Not just with Melfina, but with any woman you date."

This time Gene didn't put up an argument.

"That is why, though you and Aisha share many of the same qualities, you've never made an attempt at dating her."  She paused, anticipating a sarcastic rebuttal that never came, so she continued. "And that is why you never tried to date me.  You're intimidated by strong, independent women."

"I never asked you out because you said I was a child," Gene rebuked.

Suzuka cracked a faint smile, but only for a second. "True, but even still, I was not immune to your masculine appeal."

This drew a surprised stare from the outlaw. "Really?" He was curious to learn more.

She tilted her head to one side and debated with herself whether to let her feelings be known to him.  Finally, she spoke. "There was a time when I thought I might be falling in love with you, Gene Starwind."

This got the outlaw's full attention.  He turned to face Suzuka and placed his hands on his hips in a _that's news to me_ posture.

"But the more I got to know you, the more I realized we would have no future together.  We are both too strong willed and independent to be the submissive participant.  And there is always a submissive participant in a relationship, always.  That is what made Melfina the perfect match for you.  Her very nature, the reason she was created, was to serve.  But she was also given the capacity to learn and evolve.  That ability enabled her to redefine herself back at the Galactic Leyline.  She came away from that experience with more confidence and self-assurance then ever before.  And now, you've helped her redefine herself once again by your selfish, inconsiderate behavior.  You took her for granted one too many times, and now she is determined to be independent and self-sufficient.  Exactly the type of woman that doesn't appeal to you."

Gene cracked a crooked smile. "You know, Suzuka, I think that was more words than I heard you say the entire time we were on Cielo Rojo."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't change the subject."

The smile vanished from his face as he turned back to the flowers and sighed. "You're right, I did take her for granted.  I thought she'd always be there for me.  No matter how badly I treated her… I assumed she needed me, so I could take my time and sow my wild oats as long as I wanted, because she'd always be there.  Where was she going to go?  What was she going to do?  Sure, she could navigate the Outlaw Star and she could cook, but beyond that?  At least, so I thought, now I know she was just holding herself back for me."  Sadness seemed to overwhelm him.  "She made me the object of her desires and focused herself on doing those things that pleased me, and I never noticed, I never cared.  I thought she did those things out of a sense of obligation to us for taking care of her… last night, after she broke up with me, I spent the night rationalizing with myself that this was only a minor set back.  That she still needed me and she'd come around in time, but after she came back this afternoon with a new hair cut, new clothes, and a new attitude, I realized that she didn't need me.  She didn't need me at all.  She managed to earn us more money in one day here at Heifong than Jim and I were able to make in over six months.  Starwind and Hawking Enterprises is going to survive because of Melfina.  She doesn't need us, we need her."

"So now that Melfina has proven her independence, you are just going to give up," the assassin said candidly.

"What else can I do?  What do I have to offer her?"

"Your love," she responded.

Gene laughed dryly, "All you need is love, is that it?"

"Something like that."

"Well, it's a nice sentiment, but love alone just doesn't cut it in the real world, now does it?"  He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

Suzuka shook her head. "You surprise me, Gene.  In all the time I've known you, regardless of the difficulty of the challenges you faced, you never gave up, you never quit.  Now, when you risk losing the one person who could possibly be your soulmate, you are giving up without even trying."

"This isn't like fighting pirates."

"No, it isn't, it's infinitely easier.  It's showing the person you care about that they are an important part of your life."

"Maybe, at one time, that would have been possible… but now… Mel has made it clear she's not interested in me anymore."

"You know, Gene, I think Melfina may have been right."

"What!?"

"You're not the right kind of man for her."

"Suzuka, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying if you're not even willing to try to get her back into your life, then Melfina was right.  You aren't the right kind of man for her.  The kind of man Melfina wants wouldn't be sidetracked from doing all he could to win back her affections, but that's obviously too much trouble for you to be bothered with."

Gene was speechless.  He couldn't believe how cruel Suzuka was being towards him, especially now when he was feeling so down.  He turned his back to her and gritted his teeth.  Anger raged inside of him. 

Suzuka observed him from the corner of her eye, _'Sorry, Gene, but you needed that.'_

Slowly, his rage subsided as Suzuka's words repeated themselves in his head, as well as his actions over the past year.  Images of him staring at other women even when Melfina stood right next to him; Images of him fondling every women that gave him the slightest indication that he'd be able to get away with doing it; images of the dozens of women he slept with over the past year.  He hung his head in shame as realization set in.

"Maybe you're right."

"Wha…"Suzuka started to respond, shock evident in her tone.

"Maybe you're both right, I'm not the right man for Melfina.  She deserves better than me." He paused. "Thanks, Suzuka, thank you for helping me realize that the best thing I can do for Mel is just let her go.  She's an amazing woman, maybe she'll be fortunate enough to find an equally amazing guy someday.  Someone who'll love her the way she deserves to be loved."  With that, Gene just walked away.

Suzuka was in shock. She had spent years observing people, studying the things that motivated them.  She had thought she understood Gene Starwind.  She had thought she knew how to get him to realize what he needed to do to get Melfina back, and she cared enough about Melfina to want to try and help her get the man she loved to realize he needed her enough, wanted her enough, to do something about it.  She was wrong, not for the first time. She had misread this outlaw, and now she had done more harm than good.  She turned back towards the flowers. "Sorry, Melfina, I tried.  I… sorry."

===========

AN:  Sorry all you Aisha fans, still no catgirl here, but fear not, she is coming soon and in a very big way. 

As for this chapter, I tried to show that Gene isn't quite as shallow as he often appears, and Suzuka isn't as aloof and uncaring as she sometimes appears.  Will this turn into a Gene/Suzuka romance?  Will Melfina find love in the arms of another man? Will Jim ever hit puberty?  These and other questions may or may not be answered in the coming chapters. 

I'd like to offer a big thanks to everyone that read and reviewed my last chapter, and I hope you'll take the time to let me know what you think of this one as well. 

And as always, a very special thank you to my lovely and talented beta-reader, Janice.  Girl, you are the best.  **Great Big Hugs and Kisses**

Can you feel the love?

A. Amishi


	22. Chapter 7: Part 5

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

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Chapter 7: Part 5

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Over the next two weeks Melfina and Jim worked as a team to find as many businesses as possible that purchased goods from planets along their route. Jim used publicly available records of transport to identify the companies and then eliminated those businesses whose products were too large for the Outlaw Star to carry. It took him a few days to put the list together, but this way the task of trying to maximize their load to maximize their earnings was made easier.

Jim grudgingly left the task of actually visiting the owners of the businesses to Melfina. It was obvious after his first attempt that these people took Melfina much more seriously than they took him. While she didn't have the level of success on a daily basis that she had that first day, on her own, over the week and a half she worked, she managed to add sixteen more businesses to their list of customers. Based on their calculations, the run would take them two weeks and earn them gross earnings of 410,000 wong per month. Expenses would vary from month to month, depending on how much pirate trouble they ran into, but Jim was being optimistic and estimated a net profit of 285,000 wong a month. Jim was so happy he could hardly contain himself.

"Okay Mel, about the only additional expense we might have is the rental of a labor-droid if moving our cargo slows us down. Of course, if Aisha were here, that wouldn't even be an issue," Jim said with a frown.

Melfina gently stroked the back of his head. "Don't worry, Jim. Aisha will be back home in a couple of months and everything will be back to normal." She smiled at her young partner. Just then, Gene came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed in only his boxers. She looked up at him for a moment. She always loved stealing a look at his lean muscular body. Melfina always thought Gene was handsome, but like this he was down right gorgeous.

She smiled briefly, then realized what she was doing and wiped the smile from her face, turning her gaze back to her young partner. Jim couldn't help but notice what Melfina had done.

He smiled up to her. "You still have feelings for him, don't you?" he said softly.

Embarrassed that the young man could read her so easily, she lowered her head to hide her blushing cheeks. "I suppose I do. You can't just stop loving someone that easily, but I know I did the right thing, for both of us. I can't let my feelings cloud my better judgment. Besides, Gene seems happier now that he doesn't have me nagging him all the time. I'm sure he's moved on by now."

'_Yeah, in his dreams, maybe. Can't you see it, Mel? Can't you see the pain in his eyes? The sadness in his voice? It's killing him not having you by his side, much worse than I ever imagined it would.' _Jim just smiled and returned his attention to his calculations.

Gene tried hard not to look at Melfina down by the dining table, where she and Jim were working on their business strategy. As hard as it had been for Gene these past two weeks, he knew it going to be even harder once they were on the Outlaw Star. At least here, when being around Melfina became too much to bear, he could swipe Jim's keys and take the Ao Frao for a spin to get his mind off his broken heart, but where was he going to run to aboard the Outlaw Star?

'_She doesn't even look over at me anymore.' _Gene slowly got dressed. _'She used to glance over at me all the time after I took a shower, but not anymore.'_ Gene tried to shake such thoughts out of his head. He had work to do and sitting around getting depressed over Melfina was not going to help get that work done.

With only ten days left before they launched, Gene needed to practice coming out of sub-ether drive into a gravity well. Both Gilliam and Melfina assured him that the Outlaw Star was capable of this maneuver, but it wasn't going to be easy. One miscalculation, one wrong maneuver, and the ship would plummet to the planet's surface, so fast that even the Outlaw Star's heat shields would melt in a matter of seconds. Add to that the fact that Gene had only had reason to pilot the ship twice in the past nine months, and he could easily see he was in need of some serious training. Fortunately, Gilliam was able to provide the necessary simulations to get the outlaw ready.

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-

"Shutting down sub-ether drive in three, two, one."

The cockpit lurched hard right. Emergency lights flashed all across the monitors. Multiple alarms sounded.

"Our angle of entry is 0.76 degrees sharper than what is deemed optimal for a safe decent," Gilliam reported calmly.

"Yeah, right!" Gene snapped. "Fire right thrusters!"

"Engines two and four have stalled. If appropriate action is not taken, we will end up in a flat spin."

"Grrr!" Sweat poured down the outlaw's brow. "Balance engines one and three, attempt to restart two and four!"

"Engine two has started but is operating at only 35 efficiency. Repeated attempts to restart engine four have been unsuccessful. Rebalancing engines one and three to compensate for engine two."

The room felt like it was spinning faster and faster by the moment.

"Gilliam! What the hell's happening!?" Gene screamed.

"The ship is in a flat spin and is descending to the planet's surface at an unsafe speed. Heat shields will fail in 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,..."  
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Everything turned red for an instant, then black. As the lights returned to normal, Gene sat in the captain's chair, his face buried in his hands, his breathing ragged and his eyes squeezed shut.

"That is your 16th failed attempt in a row. Perhaps you should take a break. You are actually taking less time to destroy the ship now than when you started," Gilliam observed.

"Shut up! That's because you keep throwing all these different things at me. Angle of decent, engine failures, flat spin. You're making it impossible," The outlaw fumed.

"I am merely taking into account all possible variables that could adversely effect this procedure," The ship's computer explained.

"If that's the case then we may as well quit now. There's no way we can bring this thing from sub-ether space into a gravity well. It's impossible!" Gene argued.

"According to my calculations, the Outlaw Star has a probability success factor of 6.67 percent in achieving this maneuver."

"Wait a minute." Gene's head popped up. "Did you say the chances of doing this successfully is less than seven percent?"

"That is correct."

"And you told this to Melfina?" Gene asked for clarification.

"Of course," countered Gilliam.

"Damn that little..." Gene clenched his teeth and jumped out of the captain's chair as he headed off the bridge.

"Am I to assume we are done training for today?" Gillium enquired.

"Oh yeah! We're done all right!" Gene barked as he left the ship.

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Jim and Melfina were going over inventory and storage as well as supplies for the voyage. "That should just about cover it," Jim said with a smile.

Melfina nodded in agreement. "Right." She smiled, then glanced over at the clock. "Oh, I better get started with dinner." She stood up and started heading for the kitchen.

"You're amazing, Melfina."

Jim's sudden praise caught her by surprise and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh?"

"You've generated more business for us in a couple weeks then Gene and I have been able to get, outside of Cielo Rojo, in over a year; you work tirelessly as a partner of this company; and still you make all our meals without question or complaint."

Melfina just smiled. "I enjoy cooking for everyone. I don't mind at all."

Just then Gene came storming into inside. The force with which he opened and closed the door caught both his partners by surprise.

"Something wrong, Gene?" Jim asked.

"I'll say." He walked over to Melfina, invading her personal space, and stared down at her with as intimidating a glare as he could muster. "You said you went over the numbers with Gillium to see if the Outlaw Star could come out of sub-ether space in a gravity well. What were the odds of completing that maneuver successfully?"

Though she arched her back slightly to give herself a little more space between their faces, the young bio-android stood her ground and answered calmly. "Approximately a seven percent chance of success."

"Seven percent! That's it?!" screamed Jim as he jumped out of his chair.

"We've performed maneuvers with lower probabilities of success in the past and always succeeded. Why should this be any different?" she answered casually.

"Because I've just spent the past three days destroying the Outlaw Star in simulations trying to complete that maneuver, and I'm no closer at succeeding today than I was three days ago," the red haired outlaw informed her.

Tired of Gene barking right in her face, she walked around him towards the sofa to grab her coat.

"Where are you going?" Gene asked, not too pleasantly.

"I'm going to the ship to run through the simulation," she responded as she headed towards the door. As she opened it, she turned and asked, "Aren't you coming?" Then she walked out without waiting for an answer.

"Oh, I'm coming alright," Gene mumbled as he stormed out the door.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Jim yelled as he ran after them.

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As she boarded the bridge, Melfina addressed the ship's computer, "Gilliam, initiate simulation, sub-ether drive shutdown in a gravity well. Set no less then seventeen variables for potential failure conditions." As the hatch to her navigation tube opened and she stepped onto its platform and started descending into it, she finished, "Start simulation on the Captain's order." And she was gone, only to reappear moments later in the navigation tube.

"Aye, aye, Melfina," Gillium responded.

Gene had removed his coat and taken his seat in the captain's chair. His mood was still foul, even worse now with the way Melfina assumed command on his ship. "Seventeen variables, showoff." He hadn't dared try with more than five.

"I am ready to begin the simulation whenever you are, Gene," Gillium informed his captain.

Gene cracked his knuckles and took the controls. "Alright, begin simulation."

Immediately, the control panels and monitors lit up, giving the appearance that the ship was in the middle of a sub-ether space jump. And almost as fast, problems started occurring.

"Output from the sub-ether drive has dropped 6.62, another 3.4 and we will drop out of sub-ether space approximately 300,000 kms from our destination," Gilliam reported.

"What's the cause of the ..." Gene started to ask, but was cut off by Melfina.

"Increasing thermal capacitance output by sixteen percent. Balancing dragonite energy convergence at 78," she reported.

"That did it, Melfina, sub-ether drive now functioning at optimal levels," informed Gillium.

Gene growled.

"Dropping out of sub-ether space at the desired coordinates in precisely 137.67 seconds," reported Gillium.

"Adjusting angle of entry and trim," added Melfina.

Gene tightened his grip on the controls.

"Exiting sub-ether space in 10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2.."

The ship lurched forward, sending Jim, who was standing on the side watching the simulation, tumbling to the ground. "Aww!"

"We came out of sub-ether space too late. The ship is already in the planet's thermosphere. We are descending much too fast. Impact will occur in 726 seconds," Gillium announced as warnings and emergency lights flashed.

"Firing up the Manchausin Drive. Gene, turn the ship 168 to starboard," Melfina commanded.

Gene responded without hesitation. Within 60 seconds the alarms stopped and the emergency lights turned off. As the ship descended to the planet's surface, Melfina constantly made adjustments to keep the engines balanced and running, informing Gene of subtle course corrections to position them over Veritian City's spaceport. In addition, she continued to make other small adjustments for a number of minor system failures and anomalies that occurred during their decent.

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"Landing at Veritian Intergalactic Spaceport in 46 seconds," announced Gillium.

"Gene, the ship is all yours. Standard landing procedures only," Melfina told him.

"Alright, here we go." Gene took full control and brought the ship down nice and easy, just as he had academic over months of practice.

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"Simulation complete. Congratulations Gene, Melfina. That was an excellent bit of team work," Gillium pronounced.

"Thanks, Gillium, but what happened to the seventeen variables we were supposed to encounter?" Gene asked, not so pleasantly.

"I inserted a total of 21 variables during the simulation, Gene. Melfina simply compensated for most of them before they escalated into a serious problem," the ship's computer explained.

Gene turned around to face Melfina, who had just exited the navigation tube and was walking towards him. "So in other words, Melfina cheated by compensating for the variables beforehand."

"Ahh...." Melfina gasped, then regained her composure. "No, as the ship's navigations computer, I am able to sense variations and changes within the ship's systems at the same instance Gillium can. So I can make adjustments for them before they escalate into a real problem. I do the same thing on every flight. If I didn't, we'd never make it off the launch pad." While that assessment was probably a bit of an exaggeration, she felt a little payback was in order, but the instant she saw Gene's reaction, she regretted having said it. Gene seemed to shrink into himself, only a bit. Jim, who hadn't noticed, was still carrying on about how great Melfina was. She knew her young friend wasn't helping matters any. "Come on, Gene, let's go home. I'll make dinner and we can all go for a walk afterwards." She smiled at him for the first time in weeks.

'_I don't need your pity, Melfina.'_ But he said, "No thanks, I've got... things I need to take care of. But I'll see you guys later tonight." He flashed his usual cocky smile.

"Oh." Melfina felt a hint of disappointment.

"Later." Gene gestured goodbye and walked off the bridge.

The raven-haired young woman stared after him till he was out of sight. "Jim, do you think I upset him?"

"Aaa, don't worry about it, Mel. Gene's a big boy. He'll get over it. Tell you what, since it's almost dinner time already, let's go out to eat. My treat." The boy genius smiled.

Melfina flashed a smile back. "Okay," she said as they proceeded to leave the ship.

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With a half consumed bottle of scotch in his hand, Gene Starwind made his way up the side of a hill overlooking the lake that bordered the west end of Heifong City. Though it was a freshwater lake, it was large enough to be considered a sea. It stretched north, south, and west as far as the eye could see. Gene often stood by the shore to be alone with his thoughts, but for some reason there were large crowds gathered along the shores today, so he decided to view the setting sun from on top of this hill for a change. More than a little drunk already, he failed to notice the solitary form already at the top of the hill. His eyes were on the ground before his feet in an effort to ensure he didn't trip and go tumbling down the side of the hill. As he approached the summit, he heard a familiar voice.

"It appears stealth is not one of your strong suites."

"Huh?" He looked up and almost fell over.

Suzuka reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist to steady him.

Once Gene found his balance, he pulled his arm away roughly. "Thanks, but I don't need your help."

Suzuka just smiled sarcastically to herself.

Not getting any response from her, the red haired outlaw snapped, "Hey, what is this anyway? Its seems everywhere I go to be alone, you're always there too. Are you following me?"

"I was here first, Gene. I've been here most of the day, meditating."

"Yeah, sure." The outlaw gestured away her explanation as a wicked grin crossed his lips. "I bet you saw me down below by the shore." He gestured to the shoreline below with his bottle. "I bet you figured out that I wanted to be alone and you probably even saw me look up to this hill, so you raced up here ahead of me to make it look like you'd been here first," he slurred out as he got closer to Suzuka. "I bet you still have feelings for me and you were hoping to seduce me in my moment of weakness." He closed in on her personal space.

While her gaze was still fixated on the setting sun, the assassin raised her right hand and placed it over Gene's mouth, turning his head away from her. "It seems the alcohol has effected your mind as well as your breath, both are currently quite offensive." She gave him a small push, which sent the outlaw stumbling back a few steps.

Not giving up so easily, Gene pressed his luck once again. "Come on, Suzu."

The assassin's eyes narrowed as she clenched her jaw tightly.

"You like me, god knows, I like you. We're two attractive, mature adults. It's natural that there would be some physical attraction between us..."

'_Why did I have to tell him I was ever attracted to him?'_ she scolded.

"Come on, babe, what do you say? We can get it on right here. There's no one around, and I even brought the mood maker." He held up his bottle.

'_That's enough!' _Suzuka drew her bokuto and smashed the bottle in one swift stroke, leaving Gene holding only the neck of what was once a bottle of 30 year old Scotch.

"Hey! That bottle cost me 600 wong!" he yelled.

"Consider it an expensive lesson in manners," Suzuka responded coolly.

Composing himself quickly, the outlaw tossed what was left of the bottle aside and continued his seduction. "Well, one good turn deserves another. Why don't you let me give you a lesson in passion."

The lovely assassin glared at him. _'You don't know when to quit, do you?'_

Gene's wicked smile returned. "You're no older than me, and to be considered an ultra class A assassin at such a young age, you must have dedicated years to your training; no time for fun, no time for pleasure... or love. I'm willing to bet you're still a virgin." He smirked.

Suzuka's composure snapped. She swiped at his left leg, sending the outlaw to the ground flat on his back. Then she stood over him, applying pressure on his Adam's Apple with her bokuto.

Gene gasped for air but refrained from moving.

"You truly are a pitiful excuse for a man. Leaving you was the best thing Melfina ever did," Suzuka said with all cruelty.

Anger flared in the outlaw's eyes. "FUCK YOU!" he spat.

Suzuka drew back her sword and struck him across the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Not in your lifetime." She stepped away from him, returning her attention to the setting sun that held on for just a few more seconds before disappearing entirely.

The moment darkness covered the lake, it immediately lit up in bright colors of yellow, orange, and blue. The various breeds of speartail fish, a small fish that lived in abundance in this lake, spawned only one day a year. The females would lay their eggs on the surface of the water and at sunset the males would jump out of the water and spray their semen on the floating eggs. The chemical reaction when the two met resulted in a phosphorescent glow. It would only last a few minutes but it was a sight to behold. From atop the hill, Suzuka could hear the sounds from the crowds below as they marveled at this wonder of nature. She held her sword close to her chest as she enjoyed the sight of flickering colors dancing across the water's surface for miles in every direction.

"To think, I actually considered asking you to join me in watching this earlier today. Thank heaven for small favors."

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"Wow!" the crowd reacted in unison.

"It's so beautiful," Melfina's gentle voice exclaimed softly.

"Yeah," agreed Jim. "I'm glad we overheard those people at the restaurant talking about this."

"Mmm hmm," she nodded in agreement. "I wish Gene and Suzuka were here to see this."

Jim smiled to himself. "With as big as these crowds are, I wouldn't be surprised if they were here, somewhere."

"You really think so?" Melfina asked, still watching the array of colors dance upon the water.

Jim grinned. "I'm sure of it." Turning back to the water, the sandy haired boy's mind began to wander as he marveled at the extraordinary display of colors. "You know... there is someone I wish was here to see this with... us." He blushed.

Melfina looked at her young friend and smiled. Putting her arm across his shoulder, she pulled him closer to her side. "I miss her too."

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To Be Continued:

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AN: Sorry it took me so long to post the next chapter. Real life just kept getting in the way, but I am committed to completing this story, so onward we go.

Hope you liked this one and I'm sure you'll like the next. It features everyone's favorite catgirl. I've started typing it up already and should have it posted in a little over a week, assuming my beta-reader has time to check it out. Speaking of my wonderful beta-reader, let me offer a special thanks to her for doing such an awesome job on all my stories. Thank you so much, Janice. (Hugs and Kisses)

And thank you all for taking the time to read and review my story. I really appreciate it. You brighten my day each time I read a review. Thank you all so very much.

A. Amishi


	23. Chapter 8: Part 1

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

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Chapter 8: Part 1

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At Cielo Rojo's one and only spaceport, Aisha Clan Clan and five deputies were inspecting the latest cargo ship to dock. After the incident with Laslo Krio, few criminals dared to try anything so bold again. Those that did try didn't live long enough to regret it. But what they did start to do was smuggle themselves onto the planet by hiding in cargo containers and making a run for the mountains or desert. Of the ten criminals that had tried this technique, only one remained at large. Aisha was confident she could track down his scent in no time, but the marshal was more concerned with stopping any more criminals from sneaking onto the planet rather than tracking down one lone felon held up in the mountains.

Kumaro was a regular to Cielo Rojo. His travels brought him to the planet at least five times a year, usually more. He would drop off a variety of goods and load up with tequila before leaving. On this hot summer day, Kumaro was sweating like there was no tomorrow.

"So what are you bringing us this time?" Deputy Turner asked as Aisha walked around looking at the containers, checking for any signs of tampering. Occasionally she glanced at the cargo ship's pilot to see his body language as he answered the deputy's questions. "Furniture mostly, cedar chests, chest of drawers, along with some cedar paneling. Folks like using it for their closets and stuff," he answered, sweat rolling off him from every pore of his body.

Aisha's keen sense of smell confirmed the pilot's statement. Through the electronically sealed crates the smell of cedar reached her olfactory senses, but there was something else as well, another odor, not strong, but noticeable. _'I've smelled that scent before, but where?'_

She walked over beside Deputy Turner and watched Kumaro intently as he answered a few more of the deputy's questions.

"Have you been asked by anyone to transport anything or anyone that is not on your manifest?" the deputy asked.

"Uuh... N... no... no. I haven't... been approached by anyone," Kumaro replied.

Aisha grabbed the deputy's arm and turned him around, walking a few paces away from the pilot.

"What is it, Miss Aisha?" a surprised deputy asked.

"He's lying. There's something here. Something very dangerous," she stated firmly, glancing back at Kumaro before returning her attention back the Deputy Turner.

The deputy looked back over at the cargo pilot, watching him shuffle from one foot to the other, then back to the Ctarl Ctarl. "You must be mistaken. I've known Kumaro for going on six years now. He'd never do anything illegal. His wife would beat the crap out of him."

"I don't think he's doing it voluntarily. In fact, I think he's being forced to do it. Look at how he's sweating." Aisha gestured back over at the pilot with her eyes.

Again, Turner glanced back at Kumaro, but also took a moment to look around at everyone else. "It's the middle of summer, everyone's sweating... everyone except you," he observed, turning back towards her.

She shook her head. "No, he's not sweating because he's hot. He's sweating because he's afraid." She looked down at the deputy's notepad.

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

The Ctarl Ctarl reached down and grabbed the notepad from the deputy. "That's what I'm going to find out." She walked back over to the pilot.

"Have you at anytime been approached by any one of these people?" She punched some commands into the notepad and a picture appeared. She held it up for the pilot to see.

"Auu, no, ma'am."

She turned it around to herself and entered some additional commands, then turned it to show the pilot again. "How about this one?"

"No, ma'am."

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"This one?"

"No, ma'am."

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"How about this one?"

While the pilot's answer remained unchanged, Aisha noticed his pupils dilate slightly as well as the scent of his sweat change. She looked at the notepad. _'Renik Drago, Saurian, height: 228 centimeters, weight: 172 kilos. Former general in the Saurian Army. Exiled after a failed coup attempt. Wanted for twelve counts of murder, destruction of public property and kidnapping. Escaped Landover Penal Colony seven months ago, bounty set at 25,000 wong, dead or alive. Hmm, 25,000 wong, mustn't have killed anyone important.'_

"Okay people, listen up!" Aisha yelled to get the deputies attention. "In one of these crates or still on the ship is the fugitive Renik Drago, a Saurian. If you've never seen a Saurian before, think of them as a two legged, talking dinosaur or a lizard that's well over two meters tall and 170 kilos. Armed or not, this guy is very dangerous, so no heroics. Identify the crate, then back away and call me. Got it?" She tossed the notepad back to Deputy Turner and cracked her knuckles. _'I've wanted to take on one of you Saurians ever since our run in with that Angel Links group. Now is my chance.'_ She headed over to the three crates she thought were the best candidates since that was where she noticed the familiar scent. Turning to the pilot, she yelled, "What's the access code?"

"I... I can't tell you that," he responded.

"You can either give me the access code, or I can rip these crates open with my bare hands, your choice." She gave him an evil smirk.

"Huh!" he gasped, shock written over his face.

"I'd give her the code if I were you, Kumaro. She's just the Ctarl Ctarl that could tear open one of those things." Turner gestured to the magnetically sealed, titanium crates. "Then you'll have fun getting what's left of your merchandize to your customers, not to mention loading up on tequila."

With great fear and hesitation, Kumaro whispered, "33769"

As Aisha and the deputies used that access code to open the crates, the truck driver who was waiting to load the crates onto his rig yelled, "Come on! What's the hold up? I ain't got all day!"

Deputy Turner yelled back, "If you still want to have your trucker's license tomorrow, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and wait patiently!"

The trucker slammed the door to his truck closed and grumbled incoherently.

Aisha prepared herself as she opened the first container. She glanced around quickly but thoroughly. "Furniture, nothing but furniture." She closed the container and proceeded to the next one. She punched in the code and the container began to open, but before it opened more then a few centimeters the front of the container exploded into a hail of flying metal shards.

"GRRR!" Aisha gritted her teeth and shut her eyes as her arms flew up to protect her face, the only vulnerable part of a Ctarl Ctarl's body, from the shower of flying metal. With her eyes shut and her arms crossed in front of her face, she was unprepared to handle what happened next.

The Saurian sprang out of the container, charging forward on all fours. Letting out a hellish yell, Renik plowed into Aisha's midsection with his armor plated head and tossed the Ctarl Ctarl officer more then 30 meters into the air. Aisha let out a scream of surprise as she found herself sailing high into the air.

The Saurian quickly scanned the area for a way to escape. Spotting the truck, he headed right for it, ripped off the driver side door, and threw the frightened driver out.

Taken by surprise by the Saurian's assault, Aisha recovered in time to ensure a soft landing on her feet, about 15 meters from where she was attacked. She sprang upright, ready for another attack, which did not come.

The sounds of a truck starting up and gun fire spun Aisha around in time to see her prey pulling away from the spaceport in the cargo truck. She ran to one of the marshal's ATVs, calling out to Turner, who was still firing at the retreating vehicle. "Come on!"

The deputy holstered his gun and ran after her. "Where are we going?" he yelled.

"After him, of course!" She jumped into the passenger seat, standing on the seat, holding on to the roll bar above the windshield. "Come on! Come on! He's getting away!" She jumped up and down.

Turner jumped into the driver's seat and started the ATV. "Not if I can help it!" He shifted into gear and sped off after the Saurian.

"Agghh!" Aisha yelled, tightening her grip.

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Turner managed to close the gap on Renik as they tore through the streets of New Berlin. People screamed as they ran out of the way of the speeding cars. Renik clipped every car, trashcan and light pole he could find to send debris flying at his pursuers. But Turner proved to be more than a match, avoiding each obstacle while continually closing the gap.

"Get right behind him!" Aisha yelled. "I'm going to jump onto the truck!"

The deputy shook his head. "That's too dangerous!"

"Just do it!" she screamed as she hopped over the windshield onto the hood and readied herself.

Turner gritted his teeth and slammed on the gas. With the ATV less than two meters behind the truck, the feline sprang off the hood onto the back of the truck. She dug her claws into the roof to hold her balance as the truck swerved left then right. She then made her way over to the cab and jumped down onto it. Shifting her position, she clamped her claws down just above where the driver side door used to be, then, crouching down tightly like a spring, she shot her legs out then into the cabin, smashing her feet into the Saurian's side, sending him flying into the passenger side with a loud grunt.

Once inside the cab, Aisha had five simple words for her prey. "Alive or dead, your choice!"

The Saurian didn't hesitate. He let out a loud roar and lunged at the Ctarl Ctarl. The feline dug her feet into the seat cushion and lunged forward as well, but the Saurian managed to grab hold of her shoulders, while the furthest she could reach were his biceps. Taking advantage of the hold he had on her, Renik flung Aisha into the windshield. The glass shattered from the force, but did not break as splinters of glass shot out onto the hood. She gritted her teeth but refused to scream in pain as she struggled to break free from Renik's grasp. The Saurian drew her back to him then smashed her into the windshield again. More shards went flying out. When he drew her close a second time, Aisha released his arms and grabbed hold of his armor plated head, and when he threw her into the windshield a third time, Aisha slammed his face into the dashboard. The Saurian hit with such force that the dashboard cracked in three places. The shock of the impact was enough to cause him to lose his grip on Aisha. She quickly broke free, jumped behind him, braced her back against the seat rest, and slammed her feet into his back, forcing his whole body into the dashboard.

Renik grunted as the air was forced out of his lungs. He tried to brace himself on the dashboard and turn around, but the dash was falling apart at every place he grabbed, and with Aisha continually smashing him into what was left of it, he had no opportunity to move. With her fifth thrust, Renik's face finished smashing out a hole in the windshield. Shutting his eyes momentarily, he shook the pieces of broken glass from his face. When he opened his eyes, he let out a hellish scream.

Distracted from her efforts to shove the Saurian into the engine block, the Ctarl Ctarl peered over his shoulder and screamed even louder

By some miracle, they managed to get on the main rode out of town towards the mountains during their battle, but once out of town they veered towards the region's largest energy plant. They managed to break through the parameter fence without noticing and were heading straight for a giant tank of liquid nitrogen. As powerful as a Ctarl Ctarl is, Aisha knew she wouldn't survive a bath in liquid nitrogen, and from the Saurian's reaction, she figured neither would he.

Forgetting about their battle that instant, they both lunged for the steering wheel and turned it hard left. The truck veered sharply as the left tires lifted off the ground momentarily. Avoiding the tank, the worst was still ahead of them. Before them was a network of pipes coming from the tank. In desperation they swerved left and right, right then left, all in a frantic attempt to avoid the pipes.

Out of the corner of her eye, Aisha spotted a point in the parameter fence that was angled closer to their position. "There!" she yelled, pointing to the fence. Together they turned the truck for the fence. Within seconds they crashed through it and were on their way back to the road and the mountains.

An expression of total relief spread across both their faces. Aisha looked over at Renik and began to laugh. Renik joined in making the cabin rumble with his deep guttural laughter.

Aisha continued to laugh uncontrollably. Once again she had faced death and come out on top. She didn't notice that Renik had stopped laughing. Without drawing his fist back, he punched her square in the face. The blow sent Aisha tumbling backwards out the truck door. She flipped head over heals, managing to grab onto the top step of the cab's access ladder, her feet dangling just centimeters from the ground.

"Oh My God!!" yelled Turner from about 12 meters behind the truck. He decided it was best to continue to follow Renik in case Aisha needed any backup, or minimally, a ride back into town. Seeing the Ctarl Ctarl dangling from the side of the truck was just the latest thing that threatened to give the young deputy a heart attack. Seeing the truck tear through the city streets, crash into everything imaginable, and still go almost gave him a heart attack. Then, watching the truck head straight for the tank of liquid nitrogen gave him a heart attack, he was sure of it. Now seeing the woman he'd been assisting since she accepted the assignment of temporary guardian of Cielo Rojo was going to cause his death, he just knew it. Thinking quickly, Turner accelerated, hoping to pull up next to the truck so Aisha could jump over to the ATV.

Aisha fought a desperate battle to pull herself up and back into the cab as Renik frantically tried to force her off the truck. He leaned out the door and stepped on her hands repeatedly. At the same time, Aisha tried to reach up with one hand and grab hold of his leg to use him as a ladder back up into the truck. A few times she got a hold of him, but he shook his leg so violently that his pants ripped loose and all Aisha had in her hand were fragments of material. While she continued to try to grab hold of him, she failed to notice that the step she was holding onto was beginning to bend and crack.

Finally, tired of having her hand stepped on and only succeeding at tearing the Saurian's pant leg off, Aisha decided to punch a hole into the side of the cab and climb up from behind. As she drew back her fist, Renik stamped down on her other hand again, causing the step to break. She let out a yell as she fell, hit the ground hard, bounced up, then slammed into the front of the ATV that had started to pull up next to the truck. She rolled over onto the hood and smashed into the windshield, bounced upward and over it and would have sailed right over the rest of the vehicle if Turner hadn't reached up and grabbed hold of her ankle, stopping her momentum and causing her to fall, not so gracefully, into the back seat.

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT, MISS AISHA?!?!?!" the deputy yelled.

She picked herself up and, standing on the back seat, replied, "I will be once I kill that son of a bitch!"

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Aisha and Deputy Turner pursued Renik up into the mountains and while there was no foliage to conceal his way, the mountains were filled with huge boulders and rock formations that aided Renik in his attempt to elude capture. On more than one occasion Turner almost rolled the ATV, which forced him to decelerate, allowing the Saurian to get further and further away.

"You're losing him! You're losing him!!" the Ctarl Ctarl screamed, jumping up into the front passenger seat.

"Don't worry, Miss Aisha, he's boxed himself into a corner!" the deputy replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this path leads to the Twin Fall Cliffs, a sheer 200-meter drop onto jagged rocks. There's no way in or out except this road," he assured her.

As they rounded the bend, they came upon an open plain. In the distance, they could see the truck resting on its side near the edge of the cliff, and Renik climbing out of the cab.

While still more than a hundred meters away, Aisha commanded, "Stop!"

Turner hit the brakes hard, causing the vehicle to disappear behind a cloud of dust and debris. The Ctarl Ctarl turned towards the deputy. "Pull back to a safe distance." She jumped out of the vehicle, then added, "If... if by chance... Renik gets out of this field alive, go back to the marshal and get every available man you have with all the fire power you've got..."

"But..."

"Don't worry about being able to track him. Just follow the trail of blood." She smirked.

"But, Miss Aisha..."

"If it comes to it... contact Gene Starwind on Heifong to come and retrieve my remains."

"Miss Aisha..." The deputy's face was etched in fear and sadness.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I don't plan to let it come to that." She gave him a big grin, slapped the hood, and yelled, "Now go!"

Still staring at the beautiful feline, Turner put the ATV in gear and sped off. Aisha watched the vehicle drive away, waiting till she was sure he was a safe distance away before turning to face her adversary. With slow, determined steps, she made her way towards the Saurian, removing one article of clothing at a time.

Renik turned to face his opponent with a sly grin on his face.

"What are YOU smiling at Lizard-Face?!" she snapped, removing her chest armor.

"I just realized that of all the creatures I've killed in my time, you'll be the first pussycat," the Saurian laughed.

"Well, for your information, I've killed hundreds of reptilian monsters just like you. And you're all the same: slow, dumb and ugly." She went down on one knee to remove her boot, then the other.

"And what are you doing? Trying to scare me to death by taking off your clothes?" he roared back.

"Shut up!" yelled Aisha. "You obviously don't know the first thing about the Ctarl Ctarl. We Ctarl Ctarl are metamophs with the power to transform into our all powerful beast form. The phase of the planet's moon greatly enhances this power. Cielo Rojo is especially useful for this since it has four moons. I'm removing my cloths because this just so happens to be my favorite uniform. So I don't want to shred it when I transform." She slipped out of her thong. "Renik Drago, by the authority granted me by the government of Cielo Rojo and the Federation Space Forces District Marshal, I am hereby placing you under arrest. Come peacefully or suffer the consequences," Aisha commanded, standing as tall and forceful as she could, not allowing her present state of undress to inhibit her at all.

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From the neighboring cliff, Turner pulled out his field binoculars to see what the two warriors were doing. "My God! Miss Aisha! Oh My God!" he sputtered as the nude form of the Ctarl Ctarl barked commands at the Saurian.

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"So what's it going to be, Renik? Coming peacefully, or do I have to kill you?"

"I don't think I can accept either of your proposals. I've got a third option. How about I kill you, then head up to the mountains and live there for the next 100 years. Of course, I might need to come down to the local villages once in a while to TAKE what I need. But a couple dozen lives over a hundred years isn't that many," the Saurian laughed.

"Enough talk! Prepare to die!" Aisha roared as her blood coursed through her veins at twice its normal rate. Her muscles expanded and in an instant, she transformed from a 160 centimeter, 52 kilogram humanoid with long silver hair, blue-green eyes, and olive colored skin to an 244 centimeter, 200 kilogram tigress with black and white striped fur and fiery red eyes. Without hesitation, she sprang at her prey.

Startled by his adversary's sudden transformation, Renik barely had enough time to raise his arms to block the Ctarl Ctarl's powerful jaws from clamping down on his throat. Thrown backwards by the feline's charge, the Saurian crashed to the ground.

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"She's got him now," Turner exclaimed. "That wasn't so bad, Miss Aisha."

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The force of over 370 kilograms crashing to the ground caused a cloud of dust and small rocks to engulf the combatants. Her enhanced feline senses were badly irritated by the cloud, as Aisha thrashed her head side to side to clear her eyes and nose. Renik seized the opportunity and planted his feet under her belly, flinging the tigress into the air. She landed gracefully on her feet, three meters away, ready to pounce once more, but this time Renik had time to draw his dagger from behind and lung at the tigress.

Just as she was about to clamp down on his throat, a sharp burning pain radiated from her shoulder, causing her to turn suddenly and only causing a superficial wound to the Saurian's collar.

Withdrawing momentarily, Aisha stepped from side to side, glancing back at the blood dripping down her left front leg while still keeping a wary eye on her prey.

The Saurian laughed. "You weren't expecting that, were you? You were wrong, I have heard of you Ctarl Ctarl. I've heard the skin of a Ctarl Ctarl is stronger than even the strongest metal, but this blade isn't made of metal." He held up his shiny dagger. "This thing is made from the purist dragonite known in the universe. This thing can cut through a block of the strongest re-enforced titanium alloy like it was butter, as well as the skin and bone of a Ctarl Ctarl. Wahahahahahahah...."

Aisha growled fiercely but refrained from charging at her prey again. She was lucky he hadn't hit any vital organs and she knew it.

The Saurian's expression showed an arrogant confidence that concealed his true emotions. He knew she came dangerously close to tearing open his throat, and while the wound on his collar was nothing serious, the blood and the pain he felt were very real.

The two advisories slowly circled each other looking for an opening. When one would advance, the other would retreat until an opening was spotted, then the scenario would reverse itself. This went on for nearly a half hour.

-

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"Careful, Miss Aisha! Careful!" Turner moaned. "This is driving me crazy. I can't take it much longer. Augh!"

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Renik lunged forward with the dagger, coming close enough to slice several hairs from the tigress' chest. As he withdrew, she reached out and dug her claws into either side of his forearm, ripping open his flesh from his elbow to his wrist.

"Aaah!" The Saurian recoiled in pain but swiftly shifted the dagger to his other hand, holding his bleeding arm close to his side; he continued their dance around each other. He tried to flex his hand to make sure there was no serious damage, but only his four fingers moved. His thumb remained unresponsive.

Seeing her prey's blood and the way he held his arm close to his side, Aisha took the offensive, aggressively lunging and clawing at him, trying to force him into making a mistake and leaving himself open to an attack. But it was Aisha who got too close as the Saurian swiped the dagger from left to right and sliced Aisha across the face. The tigress retreated several steps, shaking her head and blinking vigorously to get the blood out of her eyes.

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"Augh!" Turner yelled. "No, Miss Aisha!" He lowered his binoculars and squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't take this anymore. If only I could do something to help..." Suddenly, an idea flashed in his brain. "Shit! Why didn't I think of it before?"

He ran to the ATV and opened the side compartment over the rear wheel. "Yes!" He pulled out a long rectangular case. Carrying it to the edge of the cliff, he set it down and opened it. Inside was a long-range, high-energy plasma rifle. It had been on order since the Space Forces were originally assigned the Cielo Rojo six years ago, but it only arrived a week ago. He pulled out the tripod stand and mounted the rifle on it. Then he pulled out the manual and quickly started flipping through the pages. "Hang in there, Miss Aisha, help is coming."

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The Saurian taunted the tigress with his injured arm, waving it in her face and using it as a club when she got too close. He knew it was otherwise useless to him, but if he could get her to clamp down on it, it would give him the opening he needed to strike with his dagger. To his disappointment, Aisha was too smart to fall for the tactic, though getting bopped on the head repeatedly made it very tempting. Instead, she concentrated on attacking his vital points while avoiding the dragonite dagger. The wound on her shoulder had stopped bleeding and the pain was all but gone, at least during this heightened time of anxiety.

As she continued to circle him to his right, to avoid the blade of the dagger, she responded instantly when Renik stumbled on a small patch of rocks. Lunging forward, she bit down on his right side of his torso, shaking her head vigorously to tear as much flesh as possible, and just as quickly releasing and leaping away the instant she felt the tip of the blade slice the hairs on the back of her neck. But as swift as she was, Aisha was unable to avoid injury as blood trickled down to her chest from the back of her neck. Taking a few extra steps away from her prey, she shook her head from side to side and up and down, testing the muscles along her neck to evaluate the seriousness of her wound. Satisfied that it was nothing serious, she advanced on her adversary with a new resolve, wanting to end this quickly.

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Turner connected the cables from the system controller to the rifle and flipped the switch that powered up the plasma energy emitter. Scanning the manual once more, he grabbed a cartridge and inserted it into the rifle. Taking a quick look through his binoculars, the deputy could see Aisha and Renik still engaged in mortal combat. Quickly, he enabled the targeting system and the monitor above the controller came to life. Following the manual's instructions, Turner calibrated the targeting system. "Just a little bit longer, Miss Aisha. Just a little bit longer."

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Aisha withdrew again, her upper chest and neck were covered in blood, some hers, some not. Blood dripped from her mouth as she panted for air. The Saurian's face, shoulders and torso were also covered in blood. Gasping for air as well, Renik spoke.

"I must say, of all the creatures I've fought and killed over the years, you are truly my finest opponent. I don't know if you can understand me in your current form but I salute you. If I do die today, at least I know it was by the hands of a worthy adversary."

Both warriors, bleeding and tired, knew the end was near for one of them at least, if not for both. Their patience gone, their strength not far behind, they charged each other for one final assault. Aisha reared up on her hind legs, aiming her lethal jaws at Renik's throat, but the Saurian raised his injured arm and blocked her attack. He then raised the dagger high and thrust it towards the Ctarl Ctarl's side, but she blocked it with her paw. The two combatants struggled to take the advantage and topple the other. With her extra height and weight, Aisha started pushing Renik back, but a false step on some loose gravel caused her to stumble. At that instant, the Saurian immediately took the advantage, driving the feline into the ground. Quickly, he raised his weapon and drove it down, aiming for the feline's throat. The tigress responded just as quickly by sending her jaws up to meet his wrist.

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"It's now or never!" Turner yelled. Having set his target, he pressed the firing button. A bright flash of light shot out of the rifle in the direction of the two warriors. In almost the same instant, an electro-magnetic pulse engulfed the entire ridge where the deputy was set up.

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AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger ending to part 1. Didn't want to end it like this but I really wanted to post something already and it would have taken too long to write the rest. I hope you've enjoyed this much so far. I'll try and get part 2 out as soon as I can.

Part of the delay in getting this portion out was Anime Reactor. Yes, the second anime con in the Chicagoland area was just this past weekend. While it's much smaller than Anime Central, it was still lots of fun, especially since I got to spend plenty of time with my wonderful beta-reader, Janice, who by the way did another fantastic job for me cleaning up this chapter. Thanks Janice, you're the best. **Hugs and Kisses**

I bought plenty of anime at the con, Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Record of Lodoss War (OVA), Puni Puni Poemy, Tenchi Forever (the 3rd movie), and the second boxset of Nadia. I'll be getting the Escaflowne Perfect Collection this weekend. I can't wait!

If you have a chance to go to an anime convention, by all means go. You won't regret it.

Oh, by the way, when Aisha makes the comment that she's killed hundreds of reptilian life forms before, that is a reference to my other OLS fic, "The Rise before the Fall". If you want to know what she's talking about, go take a look at that fic. And be sure to leave a review.

A. Amishi


	24. Chapter 8: Part 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

* * *

Chapter 8: Part 2

* * *

The moment before each combatant's weapons were about to meet, a brilliant flash of light streaked in between them, striking the ground at the far end of the ridge. Blinded by the light for an instant, they both recoiled, shaking their heads trying to get their vision back. Having eyes that were less sensitive than the Ctarl Ctarl, Renik recovered first. Turning to face his adversary, again he raised his arm, but shock froze him, the shock of seeing, or rather, not seeing his hand. His hand and arm just below the wrist were gone; the flesh where his hand should have been was charred black, the blood vessels completely cauterized. Still in shock, he looked down and saw his hand still clutching his dagger about a meter away. Before he knew it, Renik was flat on his back staring up at the snarling tigress. He expected her jaws to come down on him but they did not. Instead she gave him a look, a look that said, "It is over."

He shook his head. "I was once a proud warrior in the Saurian Army. Please, I beg of you. Don't let me rot away my years a cripple in some Terran prison. Let me die a warrior's death. Let me die with honor."

Aisha stared down at him a moment longer. He wasn't sure if she could understand his request, but he hoped she could sense it, from one warrior to another. Then suddenly, Aisha brought her jaws down to his neck and bit down hard. As his life slipped away, Aisha could just make out his last words.

"Thank… you…"

* * *

"She killed him. Why? He was defenseless." The deputy lowered his binoculars for a moment, then raised them again. He saw Aisha stagger back and collapse to the ground. He threw down his binoculars and quickly reloaded the rifle back in its case. Stowing it back on the ATV, he got in the vehicle to drive it over to her, but the vehicle wouldn't start. It was then that he noticed the odd smell. "The EMP must have fried the electronics on this thing." He jumped in the back, grabbed the first aid kit, and hopped down from the craft. He set a steady pace as he jogged to help the fallen tigress.

* * *

Aisha had changed back into her humanoid form by the time Turner showed up. While she was tired and her wounds did sap her of her strength, she managed to stay awake the entire time. Sitting on the ground, her eyes were fixed on the dead Saurian. Slowly her attention shifted to the dagger that lay on the ground in front of her, still in its owner's hand. She reached over to it and picked it up. Prying the cold hand from the knife, she walked over to Renik and placed the hand on his chest. She then walked over to the edge of the cliff, clutching the dagger close to her chest, looking out over the pale red sky. A tear trickled down her right cheek and she absently wiped it away just as she heard the footfalls of someone approaching.

'_Terran, about 68 kilograms, probably 172 or 175 centimeters, it must be Turner.'_ She turned around slowly to see the deputy, who was still about a hundred meters away, jogging in her direction. Turner slowed down and eventually stopped when he realized she was standing there naked. He looked around and spotted her clothes scattered around nearby. Piece by piece the deputy picked up each article then started towards her again. Slowly, Aisha walked in his direction, and with every step, her anger grew, more and more. Not noticing her angry expression, Turner extended her clothes to her. Aisha slapped them out of his hands, and before he could react, she grabbed him by the collar and forced him to the ground. Still clutching the dagger, she held it within a centimeter of his face. "You fool! What do you think you were doing!"

Fear filled every fiber of his being. For a moment, it prevented him from speaking.

"Tell me!" she demanded.

"I… I… was… trying to… to help," he stammered out.

"HELP!" Aisha clutched him around the throat and pressed the dagger against his cheek. "You idiot! You stole my victory from me! You turned an epic battle into a pathetic act of mercy! You turned a proud warrior into… into…" She slowly loosened her grip on him and let the dagger fall to the ground as she crawled away from him and sat on the ground with her knees to her chest, her arms folded over them, concealing her face as she hung her head low.

Slowly, Turner sat up. Fear was replaced with concern and sorrow for the woman he'd come to admire so very much.

"Miss Aisha… I'm sorry… I didn't know… I… I just… I saw you getting hurt… and what you said earlier really got me scared. For the first time since I've met you, I thought this was someone who may actually be able to hurt you, to kill you." He shook his head. "I couldn't let that happen. Not when there was something I could do. I'm sorry, Miss Aisha, but I couldn't let that happen." He hung his head and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, trying desperately to hold back the tears that came when the image of Renik striking a deathblow into Aisha's heart flashed in his mind.

Silence hung over the ridge for some time as the two stayed motionless except for their breathing. Finally, Aisha spoke. "It's okay. You did the right thing." She stood up and he looked into her face. What he saw scared him in a different way. In the time he had been around her over the past year, he had seen expressions of joy and mirth, of anger and rage, on the beautiful Ctarl Ctarl's face, but never could he recall ever seeing her so serious, void of all humor and happiness, void of fury and rage, just a serious solemn expression, almost sad. His heart broke at seeing her like this. So painful was the expression that he had to turn away. She turned and started gathering up her clothes. "You did what you were supposed to do." He looked up in time to see Aisha slip on her underwear.

"Miss Aisha…"

She turned towards him.

"Oh…" Removing the first aid bag from his shoulder pack, he said, "Let me treat your wounds… to prevent infection." He opened up the bag and pulled out a bottle of peroxide and some gauze.

Aisha hesitated a moment, but eventually walked over to him and sat down in front of the deputy, staring blankly at him. Not entirely sure if this action of hers meant she was giving him permission to treat her or not, he just knelt there for awhile, waiting for her to say something.

Eventually, she did. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh! Right!" He opened the bottle and poured it on the gauze.

"Peew!" Aisha turned away from the bottle, scrunching her face and holding her hand over her nose. "That stuff stinks."

"Sorry, it's all I have." He started with the wound on her shoulder, wiping away the dried blood and cleaning the wound of dirt and dust. Aisha didn't flinch even when Turner had to rub vigorously to get the clumps of cauterized blood out. It had started healing already, and all traces of the wound would be gone within the week. He then worked on her face, starting with the cut across her right cheek just below her eye. "You were fortunate he didn't get you in the eye," Turner said, freezing the moment the words passed his lips. He had been around Aisha Clan Clan long enough to know that she did not appreciate such comments. He stared at her for a moment, expecting to get a tongue-lashing. If he was lucky that was all he would get. But her eyes were cast down, and she looked like she hadn't even heard him. He knew that was not possible, but went back to cleaning her face, not wanting to press his luck.

He then started cleaning the burn marks on her left cheek and over her eye. This caused Aisha to flinch a little. "Sorry." He gave a sheepish grin but continued his work.

"What was that you fired anyway?" she asked, gritting her teeth to endure the pain.

"It's a plasma rifle," he replied.

"Plasma rifle?"

"Yeah, it shoots a high energy plasma beam up to 10 kilometers, and is supposed to be accurate to within 0.6 centimeters.

Aisha cocked an eyebrow. "That was some shot, taking his hand off like that."

With those words, Turner shrank a little bit. "Actually, I was aiming for his head."

"WHAT?" Aisha's eyes grew wide. "His hand was more than .6 centimeters from his head," she shouted.

"More like 30 centimeters," the deputy corrected.

Hearing that, Aisha touched the burn marks on her cheek. "You idiot! You could have blown my head off!"

Turner shrank a bit more.

Aisha growled fiercely, then yelled. Jumping to her feet, she stomped off.

"I knew I shouldn't have said that," Turner mumbled to himself as he stared down at the bottle of peroxide and the bloodstained gauze in his hands.

Several silent moments passed before he realized Aisha was standing in front of him.

"Ahh!" he reacted, seeing her bare feet. Looking up, he realized she was still just wearing her underwear. When his eyes met her full, round bosom, he gasped and turned away quickly. His face burned a bright crimson.

Ignoring his embarrassment, Aisha plopped down in front of him and stared at him with an expression Turner found difficult to read. _'Is she still mad at me? Has she decided to forgive me? What?'_

After about ten seconds, her patience ran out and she snapped, "Well, are you going to finish what you started?"

"Oh!" His eyes met hers. She could see a mixture of fear and embarrassment in his eyes. She thought she'd let him off the hook with a smile. _'After all, he was just trying to help.'_ But she thought better of it. _'Nah… I'm still mad! … Sort of, anyway… I'll just make him suffer a little while longer,'_ she told herself, staring at the nervous human as if he were a bug and she hadn't decided whether to squish him or not yet.

"Well?" she snapped again.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." He tossed the gauze he had in his hand and grabbed a clean one, going back to the task of cleaning her wounds, this time working on the numerous cuts she had on her upper chest above her breasts. While the blade of the dagger did not touch her breasts, the blood did flow down to them, covering most of the skin above her nibbles and covering one nipple entirely. Turner's hand trembled violently as sweat rolled down his brow.

The tiniest of smirks flashed across Aisha's face as she watched the deputy staring at her breasts. Seeing his discomfort was enough to lighten her mood. She waited several minutes as she laughed hysterically inside over the deputy's embarrassment. Finally, she let him off the hook. "It's okay, clean them already."

"Ahh!" He stared up at her. Seeing the mirth in her expression, he proceeded, still trembling slightly. The last thing Turner wanted to do at this point was offend Aisha again.

Aisha stared off into the distance as the deputy continued the task of cleaning the blood off her chest. Not usually one to allow a Terran to touch her body, the proud Ctarl Ctarl was simply too sore and too tired to do the task herself, but she wasn't about to admit it to the young human. Instead, she simply put on her best aristocratic expression and waited for him to finish so she could get dressed. Staring off into space it finally dawned on her. "Ben, where is the ATV?"

Caught by surprise, the already nervous deputy dropped the gauze he was holding while his hand moved forward to wipe away the blood. He looked up to face Aisha, still moving his hand. "Wha….?"

Aisha's ears sprang up and her eyes went wide.

'_Now what did I do?'_ Turner thought to himself. Slowly, he followed her gaze down to her chest. To his shock, he saw his hand massaging the feline's left nipple. His hand froze for an instant, then flew off her as he jumped back in horror over his actions. "I'm sorry, Miss Aisha. Really, I am." He bowed his head till his forehead touched the ground. "Please, please forgive me."

Aisha shook her head. _'Today is just not your day.'_ "Okay, just don't let it happen again."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." He started to sit up.

"In fact, do you have anything in that bag bigger than those stupid little things you've been using?" She reached down and grabbed the bottle of peroxide and poured a liberal amount on her chest. The deputy quickly searched the bag, pulling out a meter square piece of white cloth.

"Well, there's this." He held it up. "It's meant to be used as a sling or a large bandage."

Aisha took it from him. "Well, now it's a wash cloth." She splashed more peroxide on the cloth and rubbed it over her chest vigorously. "So, where's the ATV?" Aisha asked again.

"Oh, it's still on the other ridge." He pointed off to the distance. "The rifle emitted an electro-magnetic pulse when it fired. It knocked out all the electronic systems in the area. The ATV is dead. … So is the communications system."

Aisha nodded, then a moment later she stopped scrubbing and looked up at him. "And you didn't contact the marshal's office before you fired the rifle, did you?"

The deputy just hung his head again.

The Ctarl Ctarl sighed, looking off into the distance to see where the vehicle was. She sighed again. As she went back to the business of cleaning herself up, she asked. "Are there any provisions on her?"

Turner glanced over at the ATV. "Yeah, standard rations and water."

"About how far away are we from the nearest town?" She tossed the stained cloth aside and started getting dressed.

Turner stood up and surveyed the area. "I'd say between 25 and 30 kilometers to New Austin." Getting the last of her uniform on, Aisha tucked her epaulets and collar under her arm. "Well, we may as well get over to the ATV to get the rations." She started walking with Turner two steps behind, when she stopped suddenly and looked back at the motionless body of Renik Drago. She turned around and handed her things to the deputy, then walked over to the fallen warrior. Turner followed.

Standing over the Saurian's body, the deputy asked, "Is there something wrong, Miss Aisha?"

The former Ctarl Ctarl Space Fleet Captain replied, "No mater what he may have done later in life, Renik was first and foremost a warrior; a soldier with a soldier's pride. He deserves a warrior's funeral." She started looking around.

"What are you looking for?" Turner asked.

"Something we can use to cremate his body." She eyed the truck and walked over to it. With her right leg still hurting from the spill she had suffered when she was thrown from the truck, she climbed rather than jumped up the underside of the fallen vehicle and climbed back down inside the cab. Once inside, she started look for flammable materials. She ripped off the cloth covering the top of the cab and the insulation underneath it and tossed it out. Feeling the cloth seat, she ripped it open to reveal the foam padding underneath. Nodding to herself, she pulled the bench seat loose and tossed it out as well. With the seat out, she spotted the unopened bottle of tequila on the floor of the cab. Somehow it had survived the crash. The Ctarl Ctarl grabbed the bottle and climbed out of the cab.

Jumping down to the ground, her right leg buckled on impact, but she recovered almost instantly, confident Turner didn't see her in a moment of weakness. She grabbed the seatand dragged it over to Renik's body. Setting the bottle down, she proceeded to break the back of the seat so it would lie flat on the ground. She then went back and retrieved the cloth and insulation. Turner looked on, not sure what to do.

Aisha laid the cloth over the seat and set the insulation over it. She then went over to the Sairan's body and turned to lift him from under his shoulders, but her own shoulders and arms, weakened from the battle, strained and gave out in the effort.

Suddenly Turner was standing next to her, crouching down beside her. "Here," he said, "Let me help you with that, Miss Aisha." He grabbed one shoulder. Normally Aisha would have protested, but she knew she needed help so she quietly shifted to the other shoulder and lifted the Saurian's upper body. Slowly, they placed him on top of the make-shift cremation mound.

"Place him diagonally, otherwise he won't fit." Aisha instructed. The deputy nodded and complied. After adjusting his legs to rest straight on the opposite corner, the feline wrapped the cloth around the fallen warrior, tucking in the ends to hold them in place. She then grabbed the bottle, opened it, and poured it over Renik and the padding. Tossing the bottle aside, she said, "Give me your lighter."

"What?"

"A match, a lighter… something to start a fire." The deputy padded his pockets and shook his head.

"Ugh!" The Ctarl Ctarl rolled her eyes as she walked over to the truck. Spotting what looked like a loose piece of metal, she pulled it free from the truck and walked back. Picking up the dagger, she crouched down next to the cushion and began scraping the dagger across the metal. Sparks shot out and the cloth ignited. Aisha jumped back just in time to keep from getting burned. She repeated the action on the opposite side of the mound. This time when she jumped back her leg buckled again, and she fell on her ass.

Turner rushed over to help her up, but she pulled away from his grasp, saying, "I can do it myself." As she stood up, she tossed the piece of metal down and carefully slid the dagger under her belt. She clasped her hands together and bowed her head as she chanted an ancient prayer of her ancestors in the ritual tongue. Taken aback by Aisha's actions, Turner simply stared at her for a moment before bowing his head in respect for the dead. As the Saurian's flesh began to be consumed by the flames, Aisha wiped a stray tear from her eye and looked up into the red sky. She drew in a ragged breath, then asked, "How long have I been here, Ben?"

The deputy glanced over at her. He knew this day was coming, but deep inside he had hoped that someway, somehow she might just forget, or simply decide to stay on indefinitely. But it was obvious to him that this battle had drained her of more than just her strength. He'd seen her take the lives of countless criminals, not once hesitating to finish them off. But against the Saurian she had paused, clearly preferring not to kill him. In the end she had no choice. _'Why?'_ He still didn't understand. "Miss Aisha?"

"Hmm?" She continued to gaze up at the sky.

"Why did you do it? Why did you kill him when it was obvious he couldn't fight anymore?"

Silence hung heavy in the air for several long minutes. Finally, the feline warrior responded. "Because he deserved to die like a warrior, not spend his last days rotting away in some prison."

He wasn't sure if he understood or if he would ever understand. To prefer death, over life sounded crazy to him. But he wasn't going to argue. He wasn't a warrior or a soldier, and the only reason he was in law enforcement to begin with was because his father, a bureaucrat for the Space Forces Administrative Division, had pulled some strings to get him this job. He had taken the job because it seemed to have more of a future than cooking ramen all day long at the noodle cart he had been working at. Turner sighed softly. "You will have fulfilled your contract in two more days. The additional Space Forces personnel and equipment are scheduled to arrive tomorrow."

"Good." She looked back down to the Saurian's body, which was consumed in flames. "I've grown tired of all this killing. I'm ready to go home." She gasped silently to herself. Images of her father and mother, her nanny and her friends: Amery, Striker, and of course Augusta, all flashed in her mind along with images of Jim, Melfina, Suzuka, and even Gene. When the images of her Terran friends outnumbered the images of her Ctarl Ctarl friends, she shook her head clear, wondering, '_When did I start considering Heifong my home?'_ "Has the transportation to Heifong been arranged yet?"

"It was arranged the day you signed the contract," Deputy Ben Turner reminded her. "Remember, you insisted upon it."

"Hmmm…" Aisha gave a slight nod. "That's right, I did."

Silence fell once again. The only sounds were the crackling of the flames.

When the flames had died down and all that was left of the Saurian was ash, Aisha turned and walked to where the deputy had set her epaulets and collar on the ground. Tucking them under her arm, she glanced in his direction. "Let's go."

Turner nodded. Picking up the first aid bag, he flung it over his shoulder and jogged to catch up to her.

Not a word passed between them as they walked to the ATV. Aisha glanced at the young deputy several times, catching him staring at her. Of course, he would turn away the instant she caught him.

'_My silence must be driving him crazy, but I just don't feel like talking right now. I hurt, and I'm tired and hungry. I know those rations will hardly put a dent in my appetite, and I'll have to share them with him as well. Thirty-kilometers normally wouldn't be a problem for me. I could normally run that in less than an hour; but the way I'm feeling right now, especially my leg; I'll be lucky to cover that distance in six or seven hours. And it's already getting late. The suns will be down in a little over an hour. Man, this sucks.'_ She glanced over at Turner again. _'There he goes again.'_

* * *

Once at the ATV, Turner opened the back bottom panel and pulled out the water and rations. Having packed all of the vehicles himself, he made sure he placed double the water and food supplies in the vehicle he normally used to drive Aisha around, knowing the Ctarl Ctarl's appetite and propensity for drinking water.

"Here you go, Miss Aisha." He handed her the water.

She took it from him and downed half of it in one gulp. Closing the bottle, she licked her lips clean. "That hit the spot." She sat down and placed the bottle next to her.

"I know you don't really like these things, but you should eat something." He held out the energy bar to her.

"Right now, I could eat the bark off a tree," she replied. Taking the bar from him, she ripped the wrapper open and took a big bite. After chewing for a few minutes, she amended, "I take that back. Eating the bark off a tree would be better than eating this stuff." She continued chewing.

"Sorry, but at least it will help you get your strength back."

Aisha snorted. "What I could really go for right now are a couple thick, juicy steaks and a nice tall mug of Ctarl Ctarl Ale." She looked around her, seeing how very desolate the area was. "But under the circumstances…" She looked at the deputy and frowned, swallowing down the thoroughly chewed but still horrible tasting energy bar. "I guess this will have to do."

Turner gave her a crooked smile and took another bite out of his bar. With her mouth around the offensive food, Aisha's ears suddenly shot up and she jumped to her feet. Looking around in the sky, she was sure she heard something, something loud and mechanical approaching.

Looking up at her, the deputy asked, "What is it?"

"I hear something…" She continued to look about when suddenly she spotted it coming from the southeast. "There!" She pointed off in the distance.

The deputy hopped off the back of the ATV and stared in the direction she was pointing.

"I don't see anything." He strained to see.

"It's there, trust me. It's there." She jumped up on the vehicle and began waving vigorously. "HEY! WE'RE OVER HERE!" She strained to look for a moment. "Damn it! They're not looking in this direction." Turning towards Turner, she asked, "Don't we have a signal flare or something we can use to let them know where we are?"

Still trying to make out what Aisha claimed to see, he replied, "No, we don't but… but we have something else, something better." He ran to the side of the ATV and pulled out the plasma rifle once again. Quickly, he opened the case and set it up.

"Damn! That is one serious looking piece of hardware," Aisha marveled.

"If we can send a vertical blast, it should be enough to get their attention." The deputy continued setting it up from memory.

"But the EMP. Won't it knock out the craft?" The Ctarl Ctarl looked back in its direction to verify it was still in her visual range.

He glanced in the direction she was looking, "No, I think they should be well out of the EMP's range." A moment later, Turner announced, "The rifle's ready, but the stand isn't designed for a vertical shot." He looked up at Aisha, not knowing what to do.

Aisha jumped down from the ATV and grabbed the big gun, pointing it straight up into the air. "FIRE!"

"But… Miss Aisha…"

"I SAID FIRE!"

Without any further hesitation, Deputy Ben Turner pressed the firing button.

* * *

"It doesn't look like they made it out this far," the marshal said to the pilot. "Circle around once more, then we'll head further east."

Suddenly a blinding light appeared to the left of the craft.

"What the hell!" The marshal turned to look and caught a glimpse of the energy blast streaking up into space. He also caught sight of what looked like an EMP emanating from the distant twin ridges.

Slapping the pilot on the arm, he commanded, "Head for the source of that blast!"

The pilot nodded and veered hard left.

* * *

Aisha was half conscious on the ground, the force of the blast and the EMP causing her to hit the ground hard. Turner kneeled beside her, desperately trying to revive her. She could see his lips moving, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Slowly, she sat up. Taking hold of her head with one hand and keeping the other on the ground for balance, she tried shaking her head clear. The expression on her face told the young deputy that that had been a bad idea.

"Augh, I think the EMP scrambled my brain," she mumbled.

"Can you stand up, Miss Aisha?" Concern was written all over his face.

She looked up at him for a moment as if she wasn't sure what he had just said. Eventually, she replied, "Yeah, sure." Aisha tried to stand, but didn't get so much as a centimeter off the floor. "Maybe I could use a little help, this time."

Turner smiled and took Aisha by the arm to help her to her feet.

Moments later the helo-craft came into plain sight even for Turner, who had since retrieved his binoculars. "It looks like you're going to be able to get that steak a lot sooner than you thought, Miss Aisha." He grinned over at her.

"Just Aisha … Aisha will be fine, Ben," she replied.

He smiled and helped her take a seat on the ATV, then repacked the plasma rifle.

As the craft came in for a landing, the marshal jumped out and trotted to the pair. "Resting comfortably, I see," he said sarcastically.

Aisha shot back, "Yeah, right, comfortable." She hopped off the back hatch of the ATV only to have her leg buckle on her, but she caught herself and straightened up.

"Are you all right, Miss Aisha?" What happened to Renik?" He was close enough now to notice the cuts and scrapes on her body.

"I'm fine, just some minor cuts and scratches," she replied.

"Ah-huh." The marshal eyed the wound on her shoulder that looked much worse than a minor cut and the burns on her face as well, but he kept his observations to himself.

"The wanted criminal, Renik Drago, is dead, sir," the deputy announced as he stood up.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." He looked around. "Where is the body?"

Aisha simply picked up her belongings and walked over to the helo-craft.

The marshal stared after her, then gave his deputy a questioning look.

"We cremated his remains over there." He pointed to the neighboring cliff. "On the field of their battle."

The marshal walked a few steps in the direction his deputy indicated and lifted his binoculars to see for himself. He spotted the jackknifed truck first, then he spotted, a few meters away, the charred remains of the wanted criminal.

"Miss Aisha felt the Saurian deserved a warrior's funeral," the subordinate added.

"Yes, I see." The marshal continued to survey the area. "That Miss Aisha is truly an amazing woman."

"Yes, sir, quite amazing." Turner's voice betrayed the same longing he showed in his eyes for the remarkable warrior he had come to admire and perhaps even love. The deputy immediately straightened his posture and shook his head clear when he realized his boss was referring to the Ctarl Ctarl's fighting prowess, while he was not.

This little slip was not missed by the marshal, though he chose to keep silent about it for the time being. "Well, let's go. I'll send a salvage team to gather his remains later."

The two Space Forces officers headed for the craft. The marshal got in next to the pilot and the deputy got in beside Aisha in the back. To his surprise, she had fallen asleep while waiting for them with her hands folded behind her head and her legs stretched out in front of her.

"Well, would you look at that," the marshal said, smiling in her direction.

"She passed out not a minute after getting in," the pilot said.

"Is that right?" replied the marshal. "Well, let's head back home so she can get some rest on her own bed."

With that the pilot nodded and took off.

* * *

AN: I feel really bad that it took me so long to get this chapter out. I know I had indicated in my last chapter that this one should come rather quickly, but I was not expecting the interferences that life sometimes throws our way to be so great. But enough with excuses, I do hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to take some time to show the more thoughtful side of Aisha. A side rarely explored in the series because for the most part the creators chose to use her for comic relief, unfortunately. Aisha is one of my all-time favorite anime characters largely because of her potential as a lead character.

I'd like to thank my always awesome Beta-Reader who turned this chapter around for me in record time. Thanks a ton Janice. You're the best.

I'd also like to thank everyone who has taken the time to write a review of my story and has pushed the number of reviews for this story to over 100. It brings me so much joy to know people are reading my work and have taken the time to let me know what they think of it. Thank you all.

By the way, to those of you planning on attending the Anime Central (ACEN'05) anime convention at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont from May 13th to the 15th. Be sure to drop by the Outlaw Star Fan Panel I will be running this year. I hope to make it interesting and fun for everyone in attendance and I could really use your support. Also, if you are a hardcore Outlaw Star fan and will be attending ACEN as well, and would like to help out with the Fan Panel, please feel free to email me at and we can talk about it.

A. Amishi


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